Woman held at Heathrow on suspicion of preparing terrorist attack

Arrest is latest in string of detentions of terror suspects at west London hub

An armed British police officer patrols outside of Heathrow Airport on 11 August, 2006 in London, England (Scott Barbour/Getty)

A 21-year-old woman has been detained at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism, police said.

The woman, from north London, was arrested as she left a flight from Istanbul, Turkey, at just after 9pm on Thursday.

Officers said the arrest was Syria-related and the woman was being held at a south London police station.

The Metropolitan Police said two addresses in the north of the capital had been searched.

A Met statement said: "Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) have this evening, Thursday, 29 June, arrested a 21-year-old woman at Heathrow Airport as she disembarked a flight from Istanbul, Turkey.

"The woman, from north London, was arrested at 21:02hrs on suspicion of preparation of acts of terrorism under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006."

In May, a 30-year-old man was arrested at Heathrow on suspicion of terror-related crime as he stepped off a plane from Istanbul

He was also held at a south London police station while officers searched a property in the east of the capital.

Press Association