Suspicious vehicle at London shopping centre safe: Scotland Yard

Scotland Yard said today that a suspicious vehicle in the car park of a shopping centre in west London no longer posed a threat and cordons are being lifted.

Specialist Metropolitan Police officers had been sent to the scene of Westfield London Shopping Centre in White City area of London to assess the vehicle and the situation was "stood down" a few hours later.

"The incident at Westfield London Shopping Centre in White City has been stood down. Cordons are being lifted," a Met Police statement said.

The police had been called in to the shopping centre at 10.30 am local time.

"Westfield has been working closely with the police and emergency services in the investigation of a suspicious vehicle. The centre's retailers continue to trade as normal and all car parks are expected to be reopened shortly," a Westfield London spokesperson said.

 

The news had caused alarm as it emerged alongside reports of a hostage-taking at a French supermarket.

At least two people are feared killed as a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group captured around eight hostages at the Super U store in the town of Trebes, in the south west of France.

Shortly beforehand, an armed man shot and injured a police officer in the city of Carcassonne, around a 15-minute drive from Trebes. Local French media reported that the two incidents were linked and that the gunman has now been shot down in a police raid.

The hostage taker was demanding the release of Salah Abdeslam, the ISIS terrorist linked with the killing 130 people in Paris in November 2015.

Meanwhile, the terror threat level in the UK remains "severe", which means the security services assess that a terrorist attack in the country is highly likely.