A man of Indian origin in England [Images] did not take part in the London [Images] bombings because one of the targets was a school.

27-year-old Imran Patel, a British-born Muslim of Indian origin, who could have been the fifth bomber in the July 7 attacks on London's transport system, told News of the World tabloid that he decided not to join the bombers when they suggested one of their targets should be a school where the victims would be innocent children.

Patel has been remanded in custody till Thursday following his arrest, the Scotland Yard said on Wednesday.

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Patel has been held at the West Yorkshire Police station, a spokeswoman of Scotland Yard said, adding the metropolitan police and officers of the anti-terrorist branch were questioning him.

Patel was taken into custody on Saturday night after he told the tabloid that he was lined up to be the fifth July 7 bomber.

He was formally arrested on Monday, the spokeswoman said. Patel, who is believed to have had arms training in Pakistan, was cornered by a team of 20 anti-terrorist officers and taken to Leeds police station for questioning.

He had claimed he was asked to join the attack on London by his friend and terror cell leader Mohammad Sadique Khan.

Before the July 7 bombing in which 56 people, including four suicide bombers, were killed and 700 injured, Khan and other London suicide bombers -- Shehzad Tanweer, 22, Jermaine Lindsay, 19, and Hasib Hussain, 18 -- met at Patel's home in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, the tabloid said.

They watched extremist jihad videos and held discussions about their mission to carry out terrorist attacks in Britain, it said.