london police
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It took police around three hours to defuse a "critical incident" in a suburban neighborhood in East London after a man barricaded himself inside a flat and threatened to blow up the building.

Residents residing in Earlsdown House in Barking have been told to return to their flats after police managed to detain a male suspect who threatened to burn down an entire block.

Police began clearing the building of residents at around 10.20pm local time after a man barricaded himself on the 7th floor of the 12-story tower block, threatening to "blow the flat up and burn the block down."

The force spent the next few hours negotiating the surrender of the suspect as the fire department and ambulances stood by. By 1:30 am, everything was cleared. "The male has been safely detained by police and is now receiving medical attention," Barking and Dagenham Police said in a tweet, without providing further details.