Third arrest over Kensington Gardens powder find

A third man has been arrested in a counter-terrorism police investigation after suspicious items were found in Kensington Gardens, near to London's Israeli embassy.

The 31-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday at an address in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism. He remains in police custody.

Officers were called to Kensington Gardens earlier this month after two jars containing a powdered substance were found. The Metropolitan Police later confirmed the material was "non-hazardous".

Kensington Gardens was closed on 17 April as a precaution while specialist officers examined the items and carried out further searches in the area.

Officers also confirmed they carried out a search of the property in Potters Bar.

The force said the arrest was not connected to an attack which took place later on Wednesday, where two men were stabbed in Golders Green in a suspected terror incident.

Two other men were previously arrested in relation to the incident, including a 39-year-old in Ealing, west London, on 21 April, and a 37-year-old at an address near Barnstaple, Devon, on 26 April.

The 37-year-old was released on bail to a date in July, while the 39-year-old was released without charge.

The arrests form part of a wider investigation into a series of incidents involving Jewish sites across the capital, according to the force.

In total, 28 people have been arrested in connection with a series of incidents since late March.

The first incident was an arson attack on ambulances belong to the Jewish charity Hatzola in Golders Green on 23 March.

The most recent incident, before the stabbings today, related to a fire at a memorial wall in Golders Green on Monday, which commemorated protesters killed by the Iranian regime during anti-government demonstrations earlier this year.

Eight people have been charged with arson-related offences, and a 17-year-old boy has admitted to a synagogue arson attack.

A group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia – the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right – has claimed responsibility for a number of the attacks.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk