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

By
Reuters
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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. “Although we are pleased with the progress made, this investigation continues and the threat level remains at critical.”

The man was arrested under the Terrorism Act in the southern port area of Dover.

Four previous attacks in London and Manchester this year claimed the lives of 35 people.


A home-made bomb on a packed rush-hour commuter train in London engulfed a carriage in flames and injured 29 people on Friday, but apparently failed to fully explode, in Britain’s fifth major terrorism incident this year.

Passengers heading into the British capital fled in panic after the blast as the train was about to depart Parsons Green station in West London at 8:20 AM.

Some suffered burns and others were injured in a stampede to escape the station — one of the above-ground stops on the underground “Tube” network — but health officials said none were thought to be in a serious condition.

Three of those attacks involved a vehicle ploughing into pedestrians.

The other attack was a bombing in May at a pop concert by US star Ariana Grande in Manchester which killed 22 people, including several children.