LONDON, June 24: British police investigating the murder of MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq in London nearly three years ago said they had arrested a man at Heathrow airport on Monday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.

The 52-year-old man, a British citizen of Pakistani origin, whom they did not name, was detained by counter-terrorism officers as he arrived on a flight from Canada and was taken to a West London police station, police said in a statement.

A number of TV channels identified the man as Iftikhar Hussain and said he was related to an important personality. The reports also said that the Metropolitan Police investigating the case have barred five persons from leaving the United Kingdom.

Dr Farooq, 50, a former convener of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), had lived in London in self-imposed exile since 1999.

He was on his way back from work when he was attacked outside his home in Edgware, north London, on Sept 16, 2010.

A post-mortem gave the cause of death as multiple stab wounds and blunt trauma to the head. A kitchen knife and a house brick used in the attack were found at the scene.

Police have offered a reward of $30,700 for information that helps lead to a prosecution.Police said the attack “would have required careful planning and would have required help from other people some of whom may have provided assistance or information unwittingly”.

According to BBC, detectives from the Met Police Counter-Terrorism Command are investigating the murder.

Officers would like to speak to anyone who was asked for information about Dr Farooq and his routine, or who was asked to help buy items such as knives similar to those used in the murder, or mobile phones around the time of the attack.

Police have also appealed to anyone who may have been asked to drive people around the Green Lane area in the days before the murder, or who may have witnessed the suspects leaving the scene, to come forward.

Following the murder, MQM leader Raza Haroon said Dr Farooq had sought asylum in the UK as he was under ‘threat’. He left Pakistan when the government launched a 'clean-up’ led by security forces, following allegations the MQM used strong-arm tactics against opponents.

Monday’s arrest is the first carried out by London Police in relation to Dr Farooq’s killing, and is so far the most significant progress in the case in more than a year.

Earlier, the police were reported to have carried out a 55-hour search in two northwest London “residential addresses”. The New Scotland Yard, which raided the houses, reportedly confiscated several documents during the search.—Agencies and Monitoring Desk