Iraqi version
On Monday, two persons were approached for suspicious activity. They fired at police, killing one and wounding another. They attempted to flee in a car, after which they were apprehended and photographed. It was discovered that though the two were in civilian clothes, they were in fact British soldiers. Explosives were found in their car, and it is believed that they were in the process of planting explosives for the purpose of inciting violence. It is for this reason they are believed to have fled from the Iraqi authorities.
These events set off other violence, including the bombing of British tanks, and clashing with Iraq Basra police. UK demands for the release of their soldiers led to fighting between UK and Iraq Basra police. The UK mounted an armed raid, consisting of twelve tanks, and brutally overtook the police station, allowing hundreds to escape and extracting their soldiers. The UK and US is currently in the process of damage control, claiming that the operation was a “rescue” and further attempting to eliminate any other evidence or opposition.
UK official version
Iraqi police had arrested two off-duty British soldiers, and after some negotiations, they were released into British custody.
However as the first comment on the post mentions, it is usually a good idea to get the full story. To quote the poster:
The official British Govt version is that the soldiers were arrested after a firefight with Iraqi police. Rather than handing them over to coalition forces, as the Iraqi police are required to do by Iraqi law, they instead handed them over to a group of Shiite militia, who, in addition to having no legal standing, are less than friendly towards the british. The soldiers were then rescued from a private residence, rather than the jail.