Police say 38-year-old woman is being held in west London and 13-year-old girl has been taken into care

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A 38-year-old woman has been arrested at Heathrow airport on suspicion of conspiracy to commit female genital mutilation (FGM), Scotland Yard says.

The British national was held after arriving on a flight from Sierra Leone and taken to a west London police station where she remains in custody.

A 13-year-old Sierra-Leonian girl travelling with the woman was taken into the care of social services.

Metropolitan police, Border Force and National Crime Agency (NCA) officers on Friday concluded a week-long initiative at Heathrow aimed at preventing and detecting FGM.