British anti-terrorist officers were last night investigating an explosion at a Territorial Army base in west London in which a 14-year-old army cadet had his hand blown off.
Officers arrived at the base in White City, west London, at about 7.09 p.m. after members of the London Fire Brigade who had been called to the scene contacted Scotland Yard to report the incident. The building where the explosion occurred is the base of the Fourth Battalion Parachute Regiment 10 (London) Company and it is understood that the army cadet "went beyond" the main buildings of the base, picked up an object and it exploded as he walked through an entrance to the buildings.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed the device exploded inside the base and it is understood police received no terrorist warning about the device.
After anti-terrorist branch officers searched the base and the surrounding area, Chief Supt Mr Anthony Wills of the Metropolitan Police said terrorist involvement was not the first line of inquiry "but it has not been ruled out". He said the army cadet was "very ill" and had suffered serious injuries.
A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said it was too early to say who was responsible for planting the device, but she confirmed that officers from the anti-terrorist branch were investigating the explosion as a matter of "routine". The area around the base was cordoned off but residents nearby were not evacuated.
The local Underground station for the area, White City, was closed for several hours after the explosion but was reopened at about 10 p.m.
The cadet, who has not been named, was taken to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in central London where he was treated for injuries to his hand and chest. A spokeswoman for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital later confirmed that he had lost a hand as a result of the explosion.
The base is close to several busy main roads leading into London.
The manager of a nearby pub, Mr John Cummins, said he heard the blast and believed police had discovered a second device near the base. "They found another box, another incendiary device and are trying to immobilise it and are continuing to search the area," Mr Cummins said.
However, it is understood no further devices were found during a search of the area.