A man boarding a flight to Turkey at Stansted has been arrested by counter-terrror officers.

The 37-year-old was detained by the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism squad as he prepared to board a plane on Tuesday evening.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said the man had been arrested on suspicion of preparing for acts of terrorism. The arrest is linked to travel to Syria, they confirmed.

Officers were this morning searching two residential addresses in north London as part of the same investigation.

The suspect remains in custody at a south London police station.

However, Scotland Yard confirmed the arrest was not linked to the Manchester terror attack.

It came a day after suicide bomber Salman Abedi killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in an attack which has been claimed by Isis.

A spokesman said: “Officers from the MPS Counter Terrorism Command arrested a 37-year-old man at Stansted Airport last night prior to him boarding a flight to Turkey.

“He has been arrested on suspicion of preparing for acts of terrorism contrary to Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

“The man has been taken to a south London police station where he is being detained under the Terrorism Act.”