Military personnel replace police as manhunt for London Tube bombers gets underway

A manhunt is under way to find the persons behind Friday's rush hour Tube bombing in south-west London.

London's Metropolitan Police said they were pursuing suspects in a large-scale manhunt in for the person behind Friday's rush hour bombing of London Underground's District Line and had hundreds of officers analysing CCTV footage.

29 people were injured in Friday's attack at Parsons Green station, which was subsequently claimed by the Islamic State group.

The Metropolitan Police's Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said it was "very routine" for IS to claim responsibility for the attack "whether or not they've had any previous engagement with the individuals involved".

Despite this, the UK terror threat has been raised to its highest level – indicating that another attack may be imminent.

Rowley asked for public vigilance, but said people should not be alarmed.

The police are thought to be seeking more than one person in connection with the bombing.

Military personnel will now be replacing police officers on guard duty at national infrastructure sites that are not accessible to the public, to free up police resources.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced that more armed police would be deployed on the transport network and on the streets.

"This is a proportionate and sensible step which will provide extra reassurance and protection while the investigation progresses."

Passengers described the bomb, which was in a supermarket carrier bag, as a "fireball".

It is thought that the bomb had failed to detonate as intended, resulting in far less damage and injuries than it could potentially have inflicted.