A handyman who discovered two suspected bombs while clearing out a London flat has told of the terrifying experience, telling friends “I could have been a goner”.
John Brooks, 55, said he initially thought the devices were fireworks when he found them in a kitchen cupboard at a home in Harlesden, north-west London.
It comes after Scotland Yard launched a terror probe when suspected pipe bombs were recovered from an unoccupied property in Craven Park, on Wednesday morning.
A friend of Mr Brooks told the Sun: “He was just tidying up, cleaning and giving the place a lick of paint for the next tenant.
“At first he thought they were bangers, so thought nothing much of it. Once he realised who had built them, he felt very uneasy and realised that if they had gone off he'd have been killed.”
He said Mr Brooks told him: "I could've been a goner."
Met Police yesterday said a 48-year-old man was arrested in connection to the devices at a residential address in north London on Thursday morning.
He was further arrested for possession of Class A and Class B drugs drugs, and was bailed to a date in late December.
Detectives do not believe he has links to any terrorist organisations or that there are any ongoing public safety issues, Scotland Yard said.
A spokesman said: "At this early stage of the investigation, detectives do not believe that the arrested man has links to any terrorist organisations, or that there are any ongoing public safety issues."
The IEDs were removed from the flat by police on Wednesday and are now undergoing forensic examination.
The block of flats was evacuated and roads were closed. Specialist officers conducted further searches and the area has now been deemed safe.
