Police chief hails siege response

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."