MAN ARRESTED IN CARDIFF OVER PARSONS GREEN TERRORIST ATTACK
ASEVENTH person has been arrested in connection with the Parsons Green terrorist attack, at a Cardiff address.
A 20-year-old man was arrested at an address in Pen-y-Wain Road in Roath, at around 6am on Monday.
He was taken to a south London police station and remains in custody.
The arrests were carried out under section 41 of the Terrorism Act by officers from the Met’s Counter-Terrorism Command, supported by colleagues from the Welsh Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit (WECTU) and South Wales Police.
So far seven people have been arrested as part of the investigation. One person, Ahmed Hassan, 18, has been charged over the attack on a packed tube in London while three people remain in police custody and three people have been released with no further action.
A house in Pen-y-Wain Road was cordoned off by police, which was believed to be in connection with the arrest.
Neighbour Owen Smith, 22, was among the residents in the street to be shocked by the arrest.
The massage therapist said: “I heard the knock on the door thinking it was our door. I woke up and the next thing I heard was police knock the door and they got the battering ram out and got into the house.
“I could hear them running through the house shouting ‘police’ and heard them knocking on the door. I got up at 7am, opened the curtains and saw the police out in the back garden. I never saw anyone get arrested.
“At 7.30am I left the house and saw the police van, a couple of police cars and a police person on the door. It’s just a bit of a shock. I never really knew what was going on until I got a phone call in work from a housemate explaining what was going on.
“I’m shocked that something like this can happen on your doorstep.”
Kafeel Ahmed, who works at the nearby Lifestyle Express said: “I saw police when I opened the shop at 7am. I’ve heard they’ve arrested someone.”
He added: “It has been quite shocking, there was no-one around all morning, but now the street is full of people from the media.”
A woman from the Covent Garden florist said: “We had a girl who started work early when it was all happening.
“Obviously anything happening on your doorstep like this is quite perturbing, but we haven’t been told anything officially by police.”
Next door neighbours said they were “pretty shook up”.
One said: “The police banged on the door at 6am. We don’t know them next door.” They added: “It’s been very shocking having this on our doorstep, we’re pretty shook up.”
Following the arrest, Detective Superintendent Lee Porter, head of the Wales Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit, said: “All the Welsh forces stand together in support of the investigation in London.
“Recent arrests in Wales should not alarm the public but remind them to be vigilant”.