Man charged after siege

The man charged over the siege in Tottenham Court Road in London, is Michael Green, 48, of Stevenage, Hertfordshire.

He has been charged with several offences: possession of a weapon for the discharge of a noxious liquid/gas or electrical incapacitating device; false imprisonment; making a bomb hoax; causing criminal damage and recklessly endangering life.

He has been remanded in custody to appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on Monday morning.

The Metropolitan Police tonight charged Michael Green, 48, with possession of a weapon, false imprisonment and making a bomb hoax after a siege in Tottenham Court Road, London.

A police chief has applauded his officers for their response to an incident in which a suspected bomber stormed a building on one of London's busiest shopping streets.

Commander Adrian Hanstock spoke out after a man was arrested on suspicion of kidnap and criminal damage.

He remains in police custody after chaos descended on Tottenham Court Road on Friday, with both Goodge Street and Warren Street Tube stations closed, businesses evacuated and a huge cordon put in place.

Mr Hanstock, Gold Commander, said: "Yesterday's response to this major incident demonstrated the Met working at its best to tackle an extremely serious situation, bringing it to a successful conclusion without injury or harm being caused to anyone involved.

"This was a potentially life threatening matter owing to our concerns that a suspect had in their possession flammable liquids and other dangerous articles.

"The Met was able to quickly draw together expertise from across the emergency services to deal with the incident making use of specially trained personnel working to tried and tested procedures."

Detectives were today continuing to question a 48-year-old man arrested following a siege in central London.

The man is believed to have entered a building in Tottenham Court Road with gas canisters strapped to him.

The incident sparked a major alert as both Goodge Street and Warren Street Tube stations were closed, businesses evacuated and one of the capital's busiest shopping streets shut.

Commander Mak Chishty, of the Metropolitan Police, confirmed the suspect lives locally. He added:

• No hostages were inside the building when the man left
• Police were concerned that the suspect had explosives or flammable materials
• Search of the scene would continue until officers were sure it was safe to reopen it
• Suspect remains in police custody

Tottenham Court Road in Central London remains closed as police continue to search the building at the centre of the siege.

These pictures from the air show confusion and panic on Tottenham Court Road in central London earlier this afternoon.