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Rabat – British police have made a second arrest in connection with the bomb attack on a London Underground train Friday that injured 29 people, according to Associated Press News (AP).
British authorities announced on Sunday that the suspect, identified by police as Yahya Farroukh, had been arrested late Saturday night in Hounslow in West London. The 21-year-old defendant is now being held under the Terrorism Act.
According to a Facebook profile believed to belong to the suspect, Farroukh comes from the Syrian capital of Damascus.
The suspect’s images were published on Sunday by British news outlet The Sun.
Another suspect, aged 18, was arrested Saturday morning in the port of Dover, a major ferry port for travel between Britain and France. British police called this arrest “significant.” The second suspect’s identity has not yet been identified but is believed to be an Iraqi refugee, according to CNN.
The two arrested suspects had been hosted by a British elderly couple under the name of Ronald and Penelope Jones, said the American news outlet. The elderly couple had been fostering refugees, including children from Afghanistan and Iraq. The family had been honored by Queen Elizabeth II for their fostering services in 2010, awarded with Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBEs) “for services to children and families.
According to AP, officials believe that the terror attack at the Parsons Green station “was not the act of a single person, but part of a coordinated plot.”
“We are still pursing numerous lines of enquiry and at a great pace,” said Neil Basu, counter-terrorism coordinator for the London police.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May has recommended raising the terror threat to its highest level in order to prevent further attacks.
British authorities have also launched an immense armed search in the southwestern London suburb of Sunbury, added AP.
People were evacuated from the area and kept away for approximately 10 hours before they were allowed to return to their houses.
Following Friday’s attack, the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the explosion.
