A 27-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of a terror offence after he was allegedly seen with a suspected firearm and a suspicious package at a hospital’s maternity wing in Leeds.
Police ordered a partial evacuation of the Gledhow wing at St James’s hospital after the suspect was detained at about 5am on Friday.
Visitors described “frightening” scenes as the building, which includes a labour ward and antenatal services, was partially shut down and patients evacuated.
Bomb disposal experts from the army’s Royal Logistical Corps searched a car parked outside the hospital, as counter-terrorism police launched an investigation.
A 27-year-old man from Leeds has been arrested on suspicion of firearms and explosives offences after he was seen with a suspected gun and a suspicious device outside the Gledhow wing.
On Friday night, Counter Terrorism Policing North East said he has been re-arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Detectives said the bomb alert was being treated as an isolated incident and there was not believed to be a wider threat to the public.
Police added: “Counter Terrorism Policing North East has now taken responsibility for leading this investigation. Extensive inquiries are under way to establish the full circumstances of the incident and any potential motivation.”
The suspect was in custody for questioning as officers carried out searches of the car and a number of premises.
The Leeds teaching hospitals trust, which oversees St James’s hospital, declared a critical incident and evacuated patients from the Gledhow wing and visitors were turned away.
The NHS trust said its maternity inpatients, including women in labour, were “safe and receiving the appropriate maternity care”, but diverted all other services for the unit to Leeds general infirmary, nearly two miles away.
Penny Virdee, who was visiting the hospital with family, said they became separated when some relatives were told they could not leave, while others were evacuated.
“It was really frightening, it really, really was,” she said. “They were stuck inside in a different part of the hospital, while we were told to leave. We were wondering what was going on, whether it was just one person or multiple people, we didn’t know whether it was an organised thing.”
A fire engine and a bomb squad van remained in place at lunchtime on Friday, inside the police cordon, which was later reduced to allow greater access to the hospital. Police were directing vehicles around the building.
Footage taken by a hospital worker on Friday morning shows a bomb squad officer wearing protective clothing inspecting a dark blue car, which is parked in a row of cars next to the hospital building. In a video shared with the Guardian, all doors of the vehicle are open as the officer looks inside using a heavy-duty torch.
The Gledhow wing, about a mile from Leeds city centre, houses the majority of maternity services at St James’s hospital, including its antenatal clinic, maternity assessment centre and the delivery suite. It also includes wards for respiratory and bereavement services.
