Armed police have arrested a man at his home in London following a security service investigation into a potential jihadist plot.
The 20-year-old was detained early on Friday after a raid by Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command in south-west London. The level of potential danger required armed police to be present, according to an assessment by police chiefs.
Police said the man was arrested under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and taken to a police station for questioning. In a statement, the Met said no one was injured during the operation. “It is not believed there was any imminent threat to the public,” it added.
The police investigation will try to determine if concerns were correct and what if anything may have been being planned.
The Met said the arrest was not related to two arrests made on Wednesday in Luton. In that operation a 28-year-old man and 25-year-old woman were arrested after a car in which they were travelling was stopped by police.
Both were arrested under under section 41 of the Terrorism Act. A warrant for their further detention has been granted, allowing them to be held into next week while investigations continue.
Police said a residential address and a commercial premises in Luton were searched and both the man and woman were brought to London for questioning at a police station, where they remained on Friday.
The terrorism threat level in the UK remains at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.
