Man arrested after police siege in Regent Street

Suspect in custody after barricading himself in Accessorize shop in London's West End and threatening to blow himself up

A man has been arrested for allegedly threatening to blow himself up after breaking into a shop in London's Regent Street.

The suspect gave himself up following a four-hour standoff with armed officers which brought a large part of central London to a standstill.

Police teams were scrambled to an Accessorize store at 12.20am following an emergency call and found that the man barricaded inside, threatening to hurt himself.

A cordon was set up around the fashion shop, which is close to Oxford Circus underground station, while police negotiators attempted to resolve the situation.

He surrendered to armed police shortly after 5am, and was ordered to strip off his clothing to prove he did not have a bomb as he walked into the street.

The cordon still remained in place this morning.

"Police were called to a commercial premises in Regent Street shortly after 12.20am today following an alarm activation," a police spokesman said.

"On arrival officers saw a man inside the building purporting to have an explosive device. Officers surrounded the building and cleared the area while attempts were made to make contact with the man. At 05.15am, following negotiation, a man left the building voluntarily and was detained. He is currently in custody at a central London police station. Inquiries into the incident continue and police cordons remain in place at this time."


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