St James's Hospital incident: Leeds man arrested after being found with 'firearm and suspicious device'

A full statement has now been released by counter terrorism police, after Army bomb disposal experts were called out to the hospital in the early hours of this morning, following reports of a suspicious package. West Yorkshire Police urged people to avoid the entrance to the Gledhow Wing and some wards were evacuated.

In a statement, Counter Terrorism Policing North East said: “At around 5am this morning, a 27-year-old man from Leeds was arrested on suspicion of firearms and explosives offences, after being found in possession of a suspected firearm and a suspicious device in the hospital grounds.

“He was detained for questioning and remains in custody at this time. There is not believed to be any ongoing risk to public safety. A cordon remains in place as a precautionary measure, but has now been reduced to facilitate greater access to the hospital. Specialist teams continue to work at the scene. “Searches of a vehicle and a number of premises are ongoing.

"Counter Terrorism Policing North East has now taken responsibility for leading this investigation. Extensive enquiries are underway to establish the full circumstances of the incident and any potential motivation. This is being treated as an isolated incident at this time.”

Superintendent Dan Wood, of Leeds District, added that the incident had been brought to a “safe conclusion”. He said: “We are continuing to liaise with our counter terrorism colleagues as they progress their investigation. We recognise that an incident of this nature will cause understandable public concern and we are linking with our partner agencies and key community representatives to reassure them and keep them informed.”

The medical director at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has confirmed the “critical incident” at St James’s Hospital has been stood down - although police remain on site to continue the investigation. Steve Bush said an emergency patient helpline set up earlier in the day has now been closed, and visiting has resumed as normal across Gledhow wing and Lincoln wing.

Anyone visiting the site is advised to continue to avoid the entrance to the Gledhow Wing, with access available through Alma Street (Bexley entrance) or Gledhow Road. The hospital’s A&E department remains open and patients are asked to attend outpatient appointments as normal unless contacted otherwise.

Mr Bush added: “We’d like to thank our patients and the public for their patience and understanding during this matter. We want to wholeheartedly thank our staff and the Emergency Services for their dedication and commitment to ensure we have been able to keep everyone safe.

“Patients who were evacuated are being moved back to their wards. It may be some time before we are back to business as usual in these areas, so please bear with us. Unfortunately some patient appointments were cancelled as a result of today’s incident and we would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused - these will be rearranged as soon as possible.”