London underground bombing: Second man held in terror probe

A property is being raided in Stanwell, Surrey, in connection with the arrest

Police officers stand outside a property being searched after a man was arrested in connection with an explosion on a London Underground train, in Stanwell, near Heathrow airport. Peter Nicholls/ReuteShow more

A 21-year-old man has been held in connection with a terror attack on London’s underground network on Friday.

The second arrest took place in Hounslow, London- a few miles away from Heathrow Airport- on Saturday night at 11.50pm.

A search is underway at a property in Stanwell, Surrey- south of the capital- which police said is directly linked with the second arrest.

Earlier on Saturday, an 18-year-old man was arrested by police on suspicion of a terror offence in the coastal town of Dover, Kent, a gateway to the rest of Europe.

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Thirty people were injured when a device exploded on a packed commuter tube while the train was in the station at Parsons Green. Some of those injured in the explosion were treated for flash burns and one person remains in hospital on Sunday.

Speaking hours before the second arrest, Britain’s Senior National Co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing Neil Basu said the inquiry was moving at pace and that the force were “keeping an open mind” with regard to the possibility of multiple conspirators.

“At this stage, we are keeping an open mind around whether more than one person is responsible for the attack and we are still pursuing numerous lines of enquiry and at a great pace,” he told reporters.

On Sunday, Britain’s home secretary Amber Rudd said the recent development in the investigation suggested the attacker was not a “lone wolf”.

Mrs Rudd, who was appearing on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, shut down ISIL’s claim that the group was responsible for the attack, saying there was “no evidence” to support this.

Meanwhile, the Home Office posted an advertisement for a new role leading the Commission for Countering Extremism on its website on Sunday.

The Commission’s remit is to advise the government, while confronting extremism wherever it exists and promoting “British values”.

The United Kingdom’s terror threat was put back down to "severe" on Sunday, after it was temporarily raised to “critical” in the aftermath of the explosion.

Police raided a property in the town of Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, which lies 12 miles south-west of Parsons Green, evacuating nearby residents for safety reasons.

The home in Sunbury is owned by an elderly couple, who were honoured by Queen Elizabeth II for their work fostering children, including child refugees.

Ronald Jones, 88, and Penelope Jones, 71, were presented with a Member of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of their work in 2010.

According to a neighbour, the couple, who are well respected in the community, had an 18-year-old and a 22-year-old staying with them recently.