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Leeds St James’s Hospital: Arrested man had ‘suspicious device’ – police

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Bomb disposal experts and counter terror officers were called to St James’s Hospital in Leeds.

A man arrested outside a Leeds hospital was found with a suspected firearm and a suspicious device, counter terrorism police have confirmed.

The arrest followed the discovery of a “suspicious package” outside St James’s Hospital on Friday, police said.

The incident had been brought to a “safe conclusion” and it was thought to be “isolated”, officers added.

The man, 27, arrested on suspicion of firearms and explosives offence, remained in custody, they said.

A reduced cordon was still in place at the scene on Beckett Street near the hospital’s Gledhow Wing on Friday evening as a “precautionary measure” as specialist teams continued to work, Counter Terrorism Policing North East said.

Officers were searching a vehicle and a number of properties in connection with their inquiries and there was “not believed to be any ongoing risk to public safety”, they added.

Counter Terrorism Policing North East said its officers were working with Army specialists “to make an assessment in line with normal procedures”.

Officers were “working to establish the full circumstances of the incident and any potential motivation”, it said.

Supt Dan Wood, from West Yorkshire Police said: “We recognise an incident of this nature will cause understandable public concern.

“We are linking with our partner agencies and key community representatives to reassure them and keep them informed.”

Earlier, some patients had been moved and wards were evacuated at the Gledhow Wing as a safety precaution, but they were now being moved back to their wards, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said.

Visiting for patients in parts of the hospital was also suspended for a time.

Stephen Bush, the hospital trust’s medical director for operations, said: “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.

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.”

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