Terror police arrest British soldier after 'nail bomb' found at house in Salford

'Suspicious device' found alongside 'potentially inflammatory' literature, police say

Police say they have arrested a serving British soldier after a 'suspicious device' was found at a home in Salford (Getty Images)

A serving British soldier has been arrested under the Terrorism Act after a device believed to be a nail bomb was found at a house in Salford.

Police said they found a “suspicious device” alongside “potentially inflammatory” literature at an address in Mellor Street, Patricroft, on 28 November.

The 19-year-old male soldier was arrested by the Royal Military Police at an Army base in Germany and flown back to the UK for questioning by Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

A 20-year-old man found at the address near Eccles was also arrested, in his case on suspicion of possession of abusive images. Both men have been released on bail pending further inquiries.

When the alleged nail bomb was discovered, local residents were evacuated to a local school and Army bomb disposal officers were called in to safely remove the device.

A spokesman for GMP said: “Police have arrested a man in connection with the investigation into a suspicious device found in Salford last Thursday.

“A 19-year-old man was on Monday 2 December 2013 arrested on suspicion of Section 57 of the Terrorism Act. He has now been bailed until January.”

An Army spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that an individual has been arrested on charges linked to the discovery of a suspicious device in Salford on 28 November 2013.

“Greater Manchester Police is investigating this and it would be inappropriate to comment further during the ongoing investigation.”

The Royal Military Police are said to be working closely with GMP as part of the probe.