Armed police have brought a two-day standoff with a man feared to have petrol and other combustible material in his home to an end, according to Scotland Yard.
Riot officers forced their way into the house just after 8pm on Sunday and detained the man, who has not been named, after attempts to negotiate with him failed. They were assisted by firefighters from the London Fire Brigade.
A full search was taking place after the standoff was brought to an end on Sunday evening, officers said.
Up to 80 people were evacuated from addresses in the surrounding area in Northolt, north-west London, as a precaution. Police said they were ensuring the area was safe before people could return to their homes. “I am really pleased that this incident has now ended and importantly ended without anyone coming to harm,” said chief supt Paul Martin of the Met police.
“Our key priority throughout this was to get the man out of the address safely as we had growing concerns about his well-being and believed him to be in crisis. After attempts to negotiate over a number of days did not work we used specialist officers to work out how we could gain entry to the address as safely as we could. They did that this evening.”
A spokesman for Scotland Yard said police had been called in the early hours of Saturday morning after reports of concerns about an occupant and hazardous substances at the address in Wood End Lane.
Police believed the man was alone at the address and may have barricaded himself in.
A police statement release while the standoff was taking place said: “While it is not known exactly what the man has inside the property, police are treating seriously reports that the items appeared hazardous and dangerous, as they are said to include quantities of petrol and combustible material. It has also been reported that attempts have been made to prevent access to the property.”
Neighbours told the BBC that the man had “aggressive, dangerous dogs”, which was one reason why police were being particularly cautious and had not tried to enter the house.
A woman who claimed to be a cousin of the man told the broadcaster he recently had a “breakdown”.
There was no suggestion the incident was terrorist related and it was not linked to any other active investigation or operation, police said.
Ealing council’s leader, Julian Bell, said: “The safety of our residents is our top priority and council officers will continue to be on hand to give any necessary assistance until the incident has been resolved.”
