The son of a Labour councillor who was stopped at the Turkish border and arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences has been released without charge.

Waheed Ahmed, the 21-year-old son of councillor Shakil Ahmed, was accused of trying to sneak into Syria with eight of his relatives and was arrested when he landed in the UK earlier this week.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that six people - a 21-year-old man arrested at Birmingham Airport, two women and two men aged between 22 and 47 held at Manchester Airport, plus a 30-year-old man arrested in the Rochdale area, have been released without charge.

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Released: Waheed Ahmed, the 21-year-old son of councillor Shakil Ahmed, has been released without charge

University student Waheed, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, and eight of his relatives - including four children ranging from a one-year-old baby to an 11-year-old - were stopped on the Turkish border with Syria on April 1.

They were arrested by Turkish police within walking distance of the border in the town of Reyhanli.

Waheed was deported by the Turkish authorities and flown back to Britain on a plane packed with holidaymakers on April 14. He was held at Birmingham Airport by anti-terrorism police.

The following day, four of his family members - two women aged 22 and 47, and two men aged 22 and 24, were held at Manchester Airport after being brought back to the UK from Turkey.

Late on Monday, a 30-year-old man from Rochdale was arrested.

Waheed Ahmed, 21, is the son of Rochdale Labour councillor Shakil Ahmed (pictured above with Ed Miliband)

Waheed Ahmed, a university student from Rochdale, Greater Manchester was arrested at Birmingham Airport

The four children on the trip aged one, three, eight and 11, have also been flown back to the UK.

Labour councillor Shakil Ahmed arriving back at his home today bur he refused to comment on his son's arrest

Police have said the six people arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism have been released without charge.

A force statement read: 'No evidence was uncovered to suggest any imminent threat to the communities of Rochdale or the UK.'

Waheed's father Shakil Ahmed, a bakery delivery driver who has been pictured with party leader Ed Miliband, is a councillor in Rochdale.

Earlier this month, Mr Ahmed told the Daily Mail he believed his son had been on holiday with other relatives when they were stopped.

In a statement Councillor Shakil Ahmed said: 'My son is a good Muslim and his loyalties belong to Britain, so I don't understand what he's doing there.

'If I thought for a second that he was in danger of being radicalised, I would have reported him to the authorities.

'He's studying a degree in politics and sociology at Manchester University and has a good future ahead of him.'

The territory on the Syrian side of the stretch of border that they were attempting to cross is controlled by the Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda.

Greater Manchester Police and the North West Counter Terrorism Unit began an investigation after news of the arrests emerged.

Five houses, including that of Ahmed’s father, were searched as part of attempts to establish why the group apparently tried to enter Syria.

Shakil refused to comment when he was contacted by MailOnline today.