Armed anti-terror police have arrested a man after carrying out a smoke bomb raid on a luxury flat in Bristol.
The 30-year-old Asian man was seized by officers at 6.45am on Wednesday after they stormed a flat in Bristol City Centre.
He was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act before being taken to Paddington Green police station in London for questioning.
But following a search of the property he was de-arrested as a terrorist and re-arrested on suspicion of making a bomb hoax.
One resident of the Brewhouse flats where the raid took place told how the man was forced into a ”plastic suit” by police before being led away.
He said: ”I looked out of my window into the corridor and saw a police officer with what looked like a gun in his hand.
”After a couple of minutes the fire alarm went off in the building after the police triggered what appeared to be a flash bomb in this person’s flat.
”Then two officers in forensic suits with two other armed police took out an Asian man and put a plastic suit on him, covering his hands, arms, feet and hair, before taking him away.
”I have never seen anything like this before and thought it was maybe related to drugs, because of what you saw on TV.”
Following the arrest, which was made by Metropolitan Police Officers, forensic searches were carried out at the flat and a second undisclosed address in Bristol.
Police say the man is not from the Bristol area and is believed to have been staying in the flat for just a few weeks.
Detective Superintendent Nigel Rock, of Avon and Somerset Police, advised people ”not to worry” about the ongoing operation.
He said: ”An operation has been launched and is still unfolding after police arrested a 30-year-old man in the Redcliffe area of Bristol on suspicion of acts of terrorism.
”This is a joint operation with the Metropolitan Police, following intelligence they received from an independent source from outside the Bristol area.
”The arrested man is not believed to be from the Bristol area, and has only been here for a number of days, certainly not for more than two or three weeks.
”The people of Bristol should not worry about this, and investigations are now under way, although they are still at an early stage.”
