He was arrested at a private address and was still in police custody yesterday afternoon.
Police chief Damian Kitchen said that officers were not currently looking for further suspects in connection with the case and reassured the island that there was no evidence of any risk to the public.
‘Overnight [Saturday/Sunday], officers made a number of enquiries in order to make this arrest quickly, and ensure that the incident did not escalate,’ said Mr Kitchen.
‘I can give the community my guarantee that if there was ever an immediate risk to the public we would be fast, clear and direct in putting out a warning to ensure people could be safe. In this instance, that was not necessary.
‘The situation was carefully assessed and information that is not available to the public was considered and there was no need for that type of warning to be issued. It would have both caused unnecessary alarm and made the suspect aware we were looking for him.’
Mr Kitchen thanked members of the public who he said ‘provided information assisting with the investigation’, but he rebuked a frenzy of claims which appeared on social media as the police were making enquiries and trying to deal with the incident.
At one point, a photograph claiming to be the face of the suspect was posted on the Facebook page Predators in Guernsey along with a description of the man, a summary of his alleged behaviour and a warning to stay away from him, and screenshots of messages threatening stabbings were widely shared around the island.
Predators in Guernsey later carried a post which stated that the man had been found.
‘While enquiries were ongoing, a huge amount of speculation took place on social media, some of which amounted to nothing more than misinformation,’ said Mr Kitchen.
‘I have been made aware, for example, of comments trying to link this incident and arrest to immigration issues and race. These comments are wholly inaccurate, borderline hysterical, and quite frankly unacceptable.’
Police announced early on Sunday morning that a man had been arrested and provided more details in Mr Kitchen’s statement issued just before 1pm yesterday.
‘We continue to work hard, day in and day out, to keep the community safe,’ he said.
