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British police arrest 18-year-old in hunt for London train bomber

18-year-old man arrested in a move described as significant

Reuters September 16, 2017

Emergency personnel attend to a person after an incident at Parsons Green underground station in London REUTERS/Yann Tessier

LONDON: British police hunting those behind a bomb which injured 29 people on a London train on Friday said they had arrested an 18-year-old man in a move described as significant. "We have made a significant arrest in our investigation this morning," Neil Basu, Senior National Co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said in a statement.

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"Although we are pleased with the progress made, this investigation continues and the threat level remains at critical," Basu further added. The man was arrested under the Terrorism Act in the southern port area of Dover.

Passengers on board a train heading into the capital fled as fire engulfed a carriage at Parsons Green underground station in West London after the explosion at 8:20 am (0720 GMT). Some suffered burns while others were injured in a stampede to escape.

Pictures taken at the scene showed a white bucket with a supermarket freezer bag on the floor of one train carriage. The bucket was in flames and there appeared to be wires coming out of the top.

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“I was on second carriage from the back. I just heard a kind of whoosh. I looked up and saw the whole carriage engulfed in flames making its way toward me,” Ola Fayankinnu, who was on the train, told Reuters. “There were phones, hats, bags all over the place and when I looked back I saw a bag with flames,” he added

The home-made bomb, which apparently failed to detonate properly, was the fifth major terrorism attack in Britain this year and was claimed by Islamic State. The militants have claimed other attacks in Britain this year, including two in London and one at a pop concert in Manchester.

The attack at Parsons Green tube station prompted the government to take the rare step of deploying soldiers. "For this period, military personnel will replace police officers on guard duties at certain protected sites," Theresa May said in a televised statement. "The public will see more armed police on the transport network and on our streets providing extra protection. This is a proportionate and sensible step which will provide extra reassurance and protection while the investigation progresses," added May.