Arrest after human remains found in suitcases on Clifton Suspension Bridge

COPS have arrested a man after two suitcases with human remains and “leaking blood” were found on Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Police had released CCTV images of a suspect after a man was reported to be acting strangely on the Bristol landmark at just before midnight on Wednesday before the grim discovery was made.

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He was seen to have dumped a suitcase before fleeing – with cops then finding a second case, both containing human remains.

Detectives believe the remains are those of two adult men, though their identities remain unknown.

The results of one post-mortem examination were “inconclusive”, while a second post-mortem examination is ongoing.

The Met Police has taken over the manhunt, with a force statement confirming this evening: “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.”

It comes as police have been seen searching a property in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, this afternoon.

The force confirmed the search was linked to the investigation but would not confirm whether the address was linked to the suspect or the victims.

Neighbours named the men who lived at an address that police were searching on Friday in Scotts Road as Paul and Albert.

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 said.

“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 in the CCTV is described as Black with a beard, and was dressed in head-to-toe black with an Adidas baseball cap, jeans and a jacket.

He wore gold earrings and black trainers with thick white soles, and also had a black backpack.

Officers arrived at the scene in Bristol on Wednesday within 10 minutes of emergency calls but the man had already left the area, having abandoned a suitcase, said by a witness to be leaking blood.

A second case was located nearby a short time later.

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.

Police also confirmed that a taxi had been seized and said the taxi driver was helping officers with the investigation.

The Met’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine said earlier today: “Over the last 48 hours we have been working extremely closely with colleagues from Avon and Somerset.

“This work leads us to believe the man we need to speak to travelled to Bristol from London earlier on Wednesday evening.

“We are drawing on resources from across the Met to find and apprehend the suspect.

“I would urge anyone who believes they see him, or who knows of his whereabouts, to call 999 straight away. Do not approach him.

“We recognise this has caused significant concern to residents in the Clifton area and will cause concern among those who live and work in West London.

“Extra officers will be on patrol in the area over the coming days and I would encourage anyone with any concerns to speak to them.”

The Clifton Suspension Bridge opened earlier today after cops finished combing it for evidence.

Witness Giles Malone told how he and his wife were waiting for their taxi on Wednesday night when they saw two men lugging heavy suitcases at the bridge.

He said they left his dad’s flat around 10.30pm after the England match and were waiting for an Uber outside a pub when two men got out of a car across the street “lifting these suitcases”.

Giles, who lives in Florida, USA, said a woman, who appeared to be a passerby, joked with the two men about what was in the bags.

“The lady who was helping them said ‘these are the heaviest suitcases I’ve ever lifted. What’s in them? bodies?’,” he told LBC.

“We sort of semi-joked about it but they didn’t say anything.

“They didn’t really say anything of any remembrance at all, they were just struggling with these cases,” he said, adding that he didn’t help them.

He described the bags as “old, tatty suitcases – two big ones”, and identified one of the men as “African-American” and the other as “white”.

Another eyewitness, who said he wished to remain anonymous, was out for a walk with his girlfriend across the bridge when he saw a commotion ahead.

“There were two suitcases, one left on the bridge with what appeared to be blood leaking from it, the other case was on the road just after the bridge on the Leigh Woods side,” he told Bristol Live.

“There was blood on the floor along the bridge. The man who had the cases ran from the bridge staff and I saw him being chased by a member of the public on a bike.

“The cyclist followed the man, who was wearing a dark or black clothing, and was seen running down Burwalls.”

Resident Michael Mulcahy, 57, told the MailOnline: “It’s horrific to think someone has been chopped up and put in a suitcase.

“I think the guy must have gone there with the intention of chucking them over the side of the bridge.

“But those safety rails are very high – it would take some effort to pitch a heavy suitcase over the top.”

First opened in 1864, the Clifton Suspension Bridge was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and spans the Avon Gorge.

If you have any information which could help the police investigation, please call 101 and quote reference 5224180010.

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