Man arrested after store siege shuts London street

Police arrested a man who broke into a store today and threatened to blow himself up, sparking a five-hour standoff that shut down one of London's busiest streets.

Police arrested a man who broke into a store on Thursday and threatened to blow himself up, sparking a five-hour standoff that shut down one of London's busiest streets.

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The Metropolitan Police said officers responded at 12:20am to an alarm at a branch of the Accessorize fashion chain on Regent Street.

They found "a man inside the building purporting to have an explosive device."

The words "I have a bomb" were scrawled on a sign in the store window.

The area was cordoned off and the building surrounded by armed officers while negotiators spoke to the man.

Police said the suspect surrendered around 5:15am and was arrested.

The road was blocked off for several hours and one of the city's busiest subway stations, Oxford Circus, was closed during the morning rush hour.

Police said the man did not have any explosives.