Four arrested following kidnap incident in Brighton
Counter terror offices were called out on Tuesday night
Armed counter-terror officers have arrested four men in connection with a reported kidnapping in Brighton.
A 27-year-old man was recovered from a property in Ditchling Road at just after 6pm on Tuesday night (October 18th) and taken to a place of safety.
Police detained a 20-year-old man of no fixed address and an 18-year-old man from Midhurst at the scene on suspicion of kidnap.
A third suspect ran from the address and made it onto a roof in nearby Vere Road. A number of roof tiles were thrown, causing damage to several vehicles.
A specialist negotiator was called and the 25-year-old, of no fixed address, was also arrested on suspicion of kidnap.
A fourth suspect – a 27-year-old man of no fixed address – was arrested at the address on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
All four remained in police custody as of Wednesday afternoon.
Superintendent Adele Tucknott, of Sussex Police's Brighton Command unit, said:
“After receiving a report of a kidnap, our priority was to safely recover the victim and detain any suspects. This involved a number of covert and overt tactics, including distraction devices.
"This will have resulted in a loud noise which we appreciate may have caused alarm to anyone in the area; no firearms were discharged.
“This is an ongoing investigation and I would urge anyone with any information about the incident to report it online or call 101, quoting Operation Bloomfield.
“I’d also like to thank the public for their patience and understanding while we dealt with the incident. The public can expect to see a heightened police presence in the area in the meantime.
“We are treating this as an isolated incident with no threat to the wider community.”
A section of Ditchling Road was temporarily closed before being reopened later the same evening.