Terrorist police have been called in to investigate an explosion at a house which left a man in his 40s with life-changing injuries.
A specialist explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team has been leading searches at the property in Loring Road, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, following the incident at around 7.40pm on Monday.
And the police investigation, being led by Bedfordshire Police, is being supported by Counter Terrorism Policing.
The injured man was take to hospital following the explosion, where he remains.
He has been arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosive Substances Act, but has yet to be interviewed because of his ongoing treatment.
A Bedfordshire Police spokesman said: “Searches at the address are expected to continue over the coming days. Three neighbouring properties have been evacuated as a precaution.”
He added: “Due to the nature of the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing has deployed resources with access to specialist capabilities to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Detective Superintendent Will Hodgkinson said: “Incidents of this nature are understandably of great concern to local communities and I wish to thank everyone for their patience, cooperation and understanding.
“This is especially true of those residents who have had to move elsewhere while we carry out our inquiries.
“While our investigation remains at an early stage and we are keeping an open mind, this is believed to be an isolated incident with no risk to the wider public.
“An emergency services presence is likely to remain at the scene for much of the rest of the week, and we’ll continue to progress with our investigation as quickly as we can whilst we get to the bottom of what has happened.”