BBC News: Home searched after Exeter blast

Police are searching a flat linked to a man arrested after an explosion in a restaurant in the centre of Exeter.

Armed officers raided the house in King Street, Plymouth, connected to 22-year-old Nicky Reilly, who is believed to have converted to Islam.

He was detained by Devon and Cornwall Police after a device detonated inside the Giraffe restaurant in Exeter.

Mr Reilly, who has mental health problems, is being treated in hospital for facial injuries.

Deputy Chief Constable Tony Melville said Mr Reilly, who is under police guard, appeared to be a "vulnerable" individual who had been "preyed upon" and "radicalised".

At a news conference yards from the restaurant, where the explosion happened just before 1300 BST on Thursday he said: "Our investigations so far indicate that Reilly, who has a history of mental illness, had adopted the Islamic faith.

"We believe that despite his weak and vulnerable state he was preyed upon, radicalised and taken advantage of." Read more
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