A man has been arrested in connection with an investigation into the discovery of human remains on Clifton suspension bridge in Bristol and in west London, police have said.
A 34-year-old man was arrested at Bristol Temple Meads railway station in the early hours of Saturday and taken into custody. He will be taken to London for questioning.
Police had asked the public for help in the search for the 34-year-old Colombian national Yostin Andres Mosquera. They said they were no longer looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
Andy Valentine, the deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police, said: “This is a significant development in our investigation and I would like to thank the public for their support.”
Avon and Somerset police were called at 11.57pm on Wednesday after a man was seen acting suspiciously on the bridge.
Officers arrived less than 10 minutes later but the man had left the scene, leaving one suitcase behind. A second suitcase was found nearby a short time later. Both were found to contain human remains.
Inquiries carried out by officers from Avon and Somerset police and the Metropolitan police suggested the suspect had travelled to Bristol from London earlier the same day. As a result, the Met took over the investigation.
On Friday, police found further human remains in a flat in Scotts Road, Shepherd’s Bush, in west London, with the two incidents believed to be connected. The Met said officers believed they knew the identity of the two men, although formal identification was yet to take place.
A police forensic services van arrived at the crime scene in Shepherd’s Bush at just after 9.20am on Saturday. Three officers guarded a cordon taping off the area.
A 36-year-old man who was arrested in Greenwich on Friday in connection with the investigation has since been released without charge.
The bridge, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and opened in 1864, reopened on Thursday after being closed for more than 24 hours. It typically has 11,000 to 12,000 vehicle crossings a day.
