Parsons Green attack: Two men released without charge

Two men arrested over the Parsons Green terror attack have been released from custody without charge.

Yahyah Farroukh, 21, was detained at a fried chicken shop in Hounslow, west London, on Saturday, while a 48-year-old man was arrested at an address in Newport on Wednesday.

Both have been released with no further action.

Four other men remain in custody in connection with last Friday's attack, which saw a crude home-made bomb left on a London Underground train.

No-one was killed when the device failed to properly detonate, but 30 passengers were injured.

Dean Haydon, head of the Met Police's Counter Terrorism Command, said detectives are handling a "fast-moving investigation", adding: "A significant amount of activity has taken place since the attack."

He added: "We have four males in custody and searches are continuing at four addresses. Detectives are carrying out extensive inquiries to determine the full facts behind the attack.

"We anticipate that the searches will take some days to complete and may cause further disruption."

One of three men who were arrested in Newport has been named by Sky sources as Mahdi Rahimi - a 25-year-old also known locally as Bilal Mohammed.

A friend of the suspect, who is believed to be an Iranian Kurd, said: "He is a very good guy, I can't believe this.

"He is Kurdish, he describes terrorists like ISIS as stupid.

"He is hard-working and helpful. He has painted a lot of the shops and houses round here.

"He used to walk past every day on his way to the mosque, he would come and shake my hand and say hello."

Another local said Rahimi did some painting in her house two years ago.

She said: "He was a nice guy, he was very softly spoken.

"He used to condemn terrorism in front of my husband, my husband would condemn terrorism and he would agree with him."

A 17-year-old boy was arrested in Thornton Heath, south London, just after midnight on Thursday after officers carried out a search warrant.

The 48-year-old released by police was arrested along with another man, aged 30, in a Newport "halfway house" for asylum seekers, according to neighbours.

Police are searching properties in the Gwent town, two addresses in Surrey, and have started searching the Thornton Heath property - which neighbours said was also used as a halfway house.

A tent was erected for several hours in the back garden of the south London property while officers used digging equipment as part of their search.

Paula Anderson, 43, who lives next door, said she was also woken up by "a lot of banging", adding: "When I looked out there were lots of police officers."

She said her husband went out and asked the police about what was going on and they told him they were "acting on intelligence".

An 18-year-old, arrested in Dover on Saturday, and suspected of planting the device, is also still in custody after police got a warrant to hold him until 23 September.

Both Mr Farroukh and the 18-year-old are believed to have spent time in the care of Penelope and Ronald Jones, from Sunbury-on-Thames, who received MBEs for services to children and families in 2010.

The Joneses have been highly respected foster parents for almost 40 years and looked after up to 300 children, including eight refugees.