Counter-terror police blew up a suspect package at an Underground station in controlled explosion. Officers were called to North Greenwich station after Tube staff noticed the “suspicious item” on a Jubilee Line train travelling east just after 11am on Thursday.
The station was evacuated and closed for 3 hours as the controlled explosion was carried out. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “While we are keeping an open mind, the Met’s Counterterrorism Command is leading the investigation because it has the expertise to deal with incidents of this kind.”
According to the BBC, the device was found by a member of the public and handed to a Tube driver. The driver treated it as a suspicious and said it contained "wires and possibly a clock”. Sources say the plot was unsophisticated and involved a crude amateur device that contained enough explosives that posed a serious threat life.
Officers discharged tasers as 19-year-old Damon Smith was arrested outside London Metropolitan university, near Holloway Road station in north London. Smith has been arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorism.
The poker-loving student moved to the capital over the summer to attend university from Devon. Several addresses linked to Smith have been searched by police including his home in Newton Abbot near Torquay where counter-terrorism officers have discovered a second suspect device.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “Thanks to the outstanding professionalism of the Metropolitan people, Transport for London staff and the British Transport Police, this situation was dealt with swiftly and safely and no injuries resulted. The mayor also urged all Londoners to "check with TfL before they travel, and to remain calm and vigilant at all times.”
The Met said officers were keeping an open mind regarding any possible motive but said they were not looking for anyone else in relation to their investigation. The current threat level in the UK is severe - meaning an attack is "highly likely".
