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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/sep/19/relatives-of-parsons-green-tube-attack-suspect-yahyah-farroukh-voice-shock-at-his-arrest
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| Parsons Green attack: third man arrested over attempt to bomb London tube | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| A third man has been arrested in connection with the last week’s attempted bombing of a London Underground train. | |
| The 25-year-old was arrested under section 41 of the Terrorism Act at approximately about 7pm at an address in Newport, south Wales. | |
| The arrest was carried out by officers from the Metropolitan police’s counter-terrorism command, supported by colleagues from Gwent police and the Welsh Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit. | |
| Following the arrest a search was taking place at an address in Newport. It follows the arrests on Saturday of an 18-year-old who was detained in Dover as he was about to board a ferry to France, and of Yahyah Farroukh, 21, who was arrested in Hounslow, west London. | |
| Relatives of Farroukh, who remain in custody, have spoken of their shock and disbelief at his arrest. | |
| Fatin Farroukh, his sister-in-law, said he was a well-adjusted, hard-working young man with hopes of going to university in the UK and becoming a journalist. | |
| Speaking from her home near Breda in the Netherlands, she said: “Yahyah’s sister contacted me on WhatsApp early yesterday – she was in shock – to say that she heard that Yahyah was arrested. | |
| “We have many relatives in Syria who are named Yahyah; we thought it was one of them who was arrested in Damascus. We never thought of Yahyah in London – he was the last person that we would think would be arrested. | “We have many relatives in Syria who are named Yahyah; we thought it was one of them who was arrested in Damascus. We never thought of Yahyah in London – he was the last person that we would think would be arrested. |
| “I asked her: ‘Which Yahyah?’ She said my brother Yahyah in Britain. I said: ‘Are you mad? There are no random arrests in London.’ She said no, he was accused of the latest London bombing. | “I asked her: ‘Which Yahyah?’ She said my brother Yahyah in Britain. I said: ‘Are you mad? There are no random arrests in London.’ She said no, he was accused of the latest London bombing. |
| “Yahyah has been in Britain for three years, working and studying. If he was planning something bad, why he would bother to study?” | “Yahyah has been in Britain for three years, working and studying. If he was planning something bad, why he would bother to study?” |
| Farroukh said her brother-in-law had visited the Netherlands earlier this year following the death of his father in Egypt. “During the week he was with us, I did not notice anything weird in his behaviour or see him busy with anything. He did not contact any person the whole week. | Farroukh said her brother-in-law had visited the Netherlands earlier this year following the death of his father in Egypt. “During the week he was with us, I did not notice anything weird in his behaviour or see him busy with anything. He did not contact any person the whole week. |
| “He said that he was happy and had no problem whatsoever with anybody. He had good relations with his British friends as well as with the owner of the restaurant where he was working. | “He said that he was happy and had no problem whatsoever with anybody. He had good relations with his British friends as well as with the owner of the restaurant where he was working. |
| “He also said that he had good relations with his English teacher and he was almost done with studying the language and then he can apply to university. There was nothing that can make you suspect that Yahyah would do such an awful act.” | “He also said that he had good relations with his English teacher and he was almost done with studying the language and then he can apply to university. There was nothing that can make you suspect that Yahyah would do such an awful act.” |
| Farroukh said her mother-in-law in Egypt had been devastated by her son’s arrest. “She is dying with every single piece of news she watches on TV with images of Yahyah. Her heart is breaking when she sees his pictures on TV. | Farroukh said her mother-in-law in Egypt had been devastated by her son’s arrest. “She is dying with every single piece of news she watches on TV with images of Yahyah. Her heart is breaking when she sees his pictures on TV. |
| “The story is on social media too and some people are saying nasty thing about Yahyah though they do not know him in person. These people are so cruel. They have no mercy at all.” | “The story is on social media too and some people are saying nasty thing about Yahyah though they do not know him in person. These people are so cruel. They have no mercy at all.” |
| Police have been given until Thursday to continue questioning Farroukh and until Saturday to continue questioning the second 18-year-old suspect, who like Yahyah Farroukh had been in the care of foster parents Pauline and Ronald Jones at their home in Sunbury-on-Thames in Surrey. | |
| Following the teenager’s arrest, the UK government downgraded its public terrorist threat assessment, from critical – meaning an attack was feared to be imminent – to severe, signalling an attack remained likely. | |
| There have been unconfirmed reports that this man is Iraqi. However, officials at the Iraqi embassy in London said they had had no contact from police following his arrest, and were unsure of his nationality. | There have been unconfirmed reports that this man is Iraqi. However, officials at the Iraqi embassy in London said they had had no contact from police following his arrest, and were unsure of his nationality. |
| Both men are being questioned about the attack on a District Line train at Parsons Green, west London, on Friday morning. | Both men are being questioned about the attack on a District Line train at Parsons Green, west London, on Friday morning. |
| A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “They both remain in custody at a south London police station. Searches are continuing at two addresses in Surrey and a commercial property in Hounslow in connection with this ongoing investigation.” | A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “They both remain in custody at a south London police station. Searches are continuing at two addresses in Surrey and a commercial property in Hounslow in connection with this ongoing investigation.” |
| At about 6.50am on Friday, CCTV captured images of a young man carrying a Lidl supermarket bag in the street next to the Joneses’ home. | At about 6.50am on Friday, CCTV captured images of a young man carrying a Lidl supermarket bag in the street next to the Joneses’ home. |
| Ninety minutes later, a bomb that had been constructed inside a plastic bucket and placed inside a Lidl bag partly detonated on board the stationary tube train. | Ninety minutes later, a bomb that had been constructed inside a plastic bucket and placed inside a Lidl bag partly detonated on board the stationary tube train. |
| The train was packed with commuters and schoolchildren. Thirty people were injured, some with flash burns and others with injuries suffered as they leapt from the train. | The train was packed with commuters and schoolchildren. Thirty people were injured, some with flash burns and others with injuries suffered as they leapt from the train. |
| Bomb disposal experts say photographs of the smouldering remains of the train showed that the initiating charge had exploded, but had failed to detonate the main charge. | Bomb disposal experts say photographs of the smouldering remains of the train showed that the initiating charge had exploded, but had failed to detonate the main charge. |