An "important" suspect in the London attacks is under arrest, a Pakistani official said today, as investigators used telephone numbers provided by Britain to determine who may have had contact with the suicide bombers.

Police in Pakistan have detained a man with direct links to the London bombings amid a crackdown that has led to the arrests of dozens of suspected militants, an intelligence official said today.

A six-member Interpol team backed by Pakistani police arrested three brothers and another man – all British-born Pakistani citizens – wanted for three murders, a rape and other crimes in the UK, police said today.