Police were granted additional time to question a man arrested on suspicion of a terrorism offense after he was allegedly seen with a suspected firearm and a suspicious package in a hospitalthe maternity wing.
The 27 year old man from Leeds is being held in a police station West Yorkshire and be questioned by officers.
The wards in the Gledhow Wing of St James’s Hospital in Leeds were evacuated after the suspect was arrested at around 5am on Friday.
He was initially arrested on suspicion of firearms and explosives offenses but police later said he was rearrested on Friday evening under Section 41 of the 2000 Act on terrorism, suspected of being involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
North East Counter Terrorism Police said an additional warrant of detention was granted by Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, giving officers until Friday to detain and further question the man.
Police said there were “thorough investigations underway to establish all of the circumstances and explore any potential motivation”.
Army Specialists and a demining unit went to the scene on Friday and a cordon was put in place as a precaution.
Detective Chief Superintendent Jim Dunkerley, head of the North East Counter Terrorism Police, said: ‘We continue to treat this as an isolated incident and there is still no evidence to suggest there is any increased or continued risk for the public.
“However, the threat level in the UK remains substantial and we always encourage the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity or behavior to the police confidentially on 0800 789 321 or gov.uk/ACT.”
St James’s University Hospital is known as the largest teaching hospital in Europe, according to the trust’s website.
It is affectionately nicknamed “Jimmy’s” and was the subject of a television show of the same name which first aired in 1987 and followed the events of the busy hospital.
Comments are closed.