Gateway Pundit has been following this since this morning, but I held off posting until we got the goods on the bomber. As one would expect, the animal rights activists theory put forward by some turned out to be completely wrong.

From Sky News:

Police have confirmed the man arrested over an explosion in Exeter was a recent Muslim convert who had been “preyed upon and radicalised”.

An armed operation is under way in Plymouth in connection with the blast.

Sky’s home affairs correspondent Mark White said the situation was “still unfolding” at a residential property.

Devon and Cornwall Police named the arrested man as 22-year-old Nicky Reilly.

The blast happened after he walked into the Giraffe restaurant at the Princesshay Shopping Centre at about 1pm.

Officers said he suffered lacerations to his eye and some facial burning.

Nobody else was injured in the blast which happened when the recently opened shopping centre was crowded with shoppers.

Deputy Chief Constable Tony Melville said: “Our investigation so far indicates Reilly, who has a history of mental illness, had adopted the Islamic faith.

“We believe despite his weak and vulnerable illness he was preyed upon, radicalised and taken advantage of.”

He confirmed that armed police had raided an address in King Street, Plymouth, linked to Reilly and were currently searching the premises.

Islamists preying upon the mentally ill to produce suicide bombers is a no brainer. The west has no shortage of depressed teens and other angst ridden individuals who could be easily convinced to carry out heinous murder/suicides like this. Luckily in this case no one but the bomber was hurt and British Law Enforcement is conducting operations now to find the soulless monster who convinced some crazy guy to try to murder dozens of innocent people. I hope they find them quick.

The Infidel Bloggers Alliance has more. Atlas Shrugs points out that the recent courthouse bombing here was a similar construction as the Exeter bomb.