A man has been arrested in London amid a major hunt for a key suspect after the remains of two men were found in two suitcases near the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol.
The 36-year-old who was arrested in Greenwich, south-east London, on Friday is “not the same man” as the one subject of a police appeal, the Metropolitan Police said.
Detectives from the Met are leading the investigation and police carried out searches in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, on Friday.
The human remains were discovered on Wednesday evening after police were called to reports of a man with a suitcase acting suspiciously on the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
The victims have not yet been formally identified but both are believed to be adult men, with the results of one post-mortem examination “inconclusive”, while a second post-mortem examination is ongoing.
On Friday, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “A man, aged 36, was arrested at an address in Greenwich early on Friday 12 July.
“He has been taken into custody where he remains. This is not the same man we are appealing for.”
On Friday afternoon, a helicopter was seen circling above Scotts Road in Shepherd’s Bush, where officers cordoned off an area of bins below a high-rise building, with a private ambulance arriving at 6.30pm.
Local resident Anthony Priest, 85, said: “I heard them all tearing down here in the early hours of the morning.
“I heard a police car coming down, with lights flashing. It must have been about half past three.”
Neighbours named the men who lived at an address that police were searching on Friday in Scotts Road as Paul and Albert.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed the search was linked to the investigation but would not confirm whether the address was linked to the suspect or the victims.
Rebecca, who lives opposite the couple, said: “I’ve been here for 26 years so they’ve been here my whole life.
“They seemed quiet, they seemed happy, cheerful, waving at everyone. The smaller one, Albert, rode a bike.”
She said police “smashed the door down” at the address early on Friday morning.
“All I heard was that this morning my mum was up at 4.30am,” she told the PA news agency.
We are appealing for help in locating a man wanted in connection with the discovery of human remains in Bristol.
We urge anyone who believes they've seen him, or know of his whereabouts, to call 999 straight away. Do not approach him. pic.twitter.com/hCtt63vef5
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) July 12, 2024
“My mum woke up to dogs barking, and she came out and there’s policemen dressed in riot gear going into the building.”
Martha, a resident who lives next door to the two men, said: “I have been living here for 11 years.
“They were a very nice couple, very polite, nice, quiet.”
Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “One’s called Paul, they were just lovely guys.”
The suspect is thought to have travelled to Bristol from London on Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police said.
It is understood that he was picked up by a taxi near The Mall pub in Clifton before exiting the vehicle on the Leigh Woods side of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, a distance of around 0.4 miles.
The force has released two pictures of him, showing a black man with a beard, wearing a black Adidas baseball cap, black jeans, a black jacket and black trainers with thick white soles and carrying a black backpack.
Witnesses have described how the man, who arrived at the bridge in a taxi, was challenged after the “tatty” suitcase was seen to be leaking blood.
He left the scene, reportedly chased by a cyclist, and made off in the direction of Leigh Woods, leaving the suitcase behind.
Avon and Somerset Police said officers arrived at the scene within 10 minutes and discovered that the suitcase, along with a second located a short distance from the bridge, contained human remains.
Police also confirmed that a taxi had been seized and said the taxi driver was helping officers with the investigation.
Other witnesses described seeing two men with suitcases in the Clifton area of Bristol, a short distance from the bridge, on Wednesday evening.
Giles Malone told ITV News West Country he had been waiting for an Uber near The Mall pub when he saw two men lifting suitcases across the road shortly after 10.30pm.
He said: “We were stood there waiting for our car and a man and another man got out of another car across the street and they were lifting these suitcases across the road for some reason, right by us.”
Searches, including with the police helicopter and the Coastguard, have continued since the incident but the suspect is yet to be located.
Anyone who sees the suspect, or has information about his location, is urged to call 999, quoting reference 5224180010 to the call handler.
People with information should submit it through Avon and Somerset Police’s major incident public portal, or by calling the major incident room on 0800 056 0944, if calling from the UK, or 0207 158 0010 from abroad.
