Gang arrested over plot to kidnap Victoria Beckham

Four men and a woman were arrested last week after an alleged £ 5m plot to kidnap Victoria Beckham ¹⁾, one-half of Britain's highest profile couple.

The five Albanians and Roman­ians were arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police's Serious and Organised Crime branch in London and Surrey ²⁾. They were being held in connection with offences of theft and conspiracy to kidnap.

Ms ³⁾ Beckham, 28, was told of the plot. She then watched her husband, David ⁴⁾, play for Manchester United against Southampton, but did not tell him until after the game. " It's terrifying to think that someone would want to do that to you and your children. I'm in absolute and total shock, " she said.

The alleged plot came to light after two reporters from the News of The World infiltrated the gang. Stuart Kuttner, managing editor of the Sunday newspaper, said. " About six weeks ago we were alerted that a gang of Romanian and Albanian criminals, or people of that persuasion, had a plan to try to kidnap Victoria Beckham and hoped to collect a ransom of £ 5m."

According to the newspaper, the gang planned to use a spray to sedate Ms Beckham in her car as it pulled out of the drive of the couple's mansion in Hertfordshire. She would then have been held for ransom in a house in south London, where a room had been prepared. If she had had her sons, Brooklyn and Romeo, with her at the time, they would have been held as well.

Two years ago police uncovered a plan to kidnap Ms Beckham and her first son Brooklyn, now three.

The Beckhams, who are known universally as " Posh and Becks" – Victoria rose to stardom in the Spice Girls pop group ⁵⁾ – have become Britain's most photographed couple since they met at a football match in 1997. The Observer

¨ Explanatory Notes

¹⁾ Victoria Beckham – an English singer, songwriter, dancer, fashion designer, author, businesswoman, actress and model. Mrs Beckham first came to notoriety as Busty-Posh Spice in the UK all-girl band the Spice Girls, which has since found its place in history as the luckiest band ever.

²⁾ The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is the name currently used by the territorial police force which is responsible for Greater London (the administrative structure of Greater London includes 33 separate boroughs, 14 of which constitute Inner London and the others Outer London), the City of London being the responsibility of the City of London Police. It is commonly referred to as the Metropolitan Police, and informally as " the Met" or sometimes MP. The MPS is the largest force in the United Kingdom. The headquarters is at New Scotland Yard in Westminster, commonly known as Scotland Yard.

³⁾ Ms isused as a formal title in front of the name of a woman, whether she is married or not, when talking to her or about her. Mrs is usually only used for married women who have the same family name as their husband. Miss is used as a title for unmarried women, and sometimes married women who did not change their name when they got married, but many women now consider this old-fashioned and prefer Ms as their title.

⁴⁾ David Beckham – English football player, who gained international fame for his onfield play as well as for his highly publicized personal life. He is an established member of the England national team. Twice runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004 the world's highest-paid footballer. With such global recognition he has become an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon.

⁴⁾ The Spice Girls were an English girl group formed in 1994. They consisted of Victoria Beckham (né e Adams), Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm, and Geri Halliwell. They are considered to be the most successful girl group of all time. They have sold 65 million records worldwide with only four albums and eleven singles, making them the most successful British band since The Beatles and the best selling girl group of all time. They were the biggest cultural icons of the 1990s, according to a survey carried out by Trivial Pursuit, winning by 80 percent in a poll of 1, 000 people carried out for the board game, stating that " Girl Power" defined the decade. In June 1998, Geri Halliwell left the group in the middle of numerous rumours. The four remaining members released the third album, but went their separate ways in late 2000 to focus on their solo careers.