EFL:Two of the men wanted by police investigating the attempted bombings of July 21 were today arrested in west London. The man who is sought in connection with the attack at Oval tube station, who has not been named, was arrested at Dalgarno Gardens in Ladbroke Grove in west London, security sources told Guardian Unlimited. Muktar Said-Ibrahim, who police believe attempted to blow up a No 26 bus in Shoreditch, was arrested less than a mile away at Tavistock Road, the sources said. There are at least two scenes of police activity in the Ladbroke Grove area of the capital, one at a block of flats at Dalgarno Gardens, close to Wormwood Scrubs prison. In addition, two women were arrested at Liverpool Street station.
At around 10am police raided a block of flats at Dalgarno Gardens, close to Wormwood Scrubs prison, which reportedly developed into an armed siege. It was unclear if the siege was over or ongoing; a large police presence was still in the area. At around 2.30pm a man was seen being led away from the flats by two officers, his identity obscured by a white forensic suit.
There were at least two scenes of police activity in the Ladbroke Grove area of the capital, including the one at the block of flats. Less than a mile away, cordons had been established at a second site and streets including Tavistock Road, close to the A40 Westway, had been closed off.
Sources said that at least one property had been under surveillance overnight.
At around 11.30am police sealed off Tavistock Road and an adjoining crescent. Tavistock Road, near Notting Hill's Portobello Road, runs close to Westbourne Park tube station where the man who attempted to blow himself up on a train near Shepherd's Bush on July 21 got on to the network. Large numbers of armed police were on the streets and residents across a wide area were ordered to stay indoors. "We can confirm that an armed operation is currently in progress in the W10 area in connection with ongoing enquiries into the incidents on July 21," Scotland Yard said in a statement shortly before 1pm. "This operation is in its very early stages. Cordons are in place as a precaution."
Dalgarno Gardens is a block of flats owned by the Peabody Trust, one of London's oldest housing associations. Residents on the 350-property estate, which was built around 80 years ago, were told to stay indoors.
One of the four main July 21 bomb suspects, Yasin Hassan Omar, was arrested during an operation in Birmingham on Wednesday morning. Police have published images of the four main suspects but have said it is possible that there may be a fifth bomber. |