Police arrested a 24-year-old man at London's Heathrow airport today as part of an investigation into people travelling to Syria for "alleged terrorist activity".

The man, who had arrived in the UK on a plane from Bahrain, was held "on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism", said the force.

He was taken to a police station in south London for questioning by officers from Counter Terrorism Command, the police added in a statement.

Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri last month called on Muslims to join the rebellion against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to the SITE monitoring service.

Islamist militant groups have played an increasingly significant role in the fighting.

British police arrested a man and a woman at Heathrow last month as part of similar investigations into travel to Syria . A 26-year-old man was charged on Oct. 16. The woman was released without charge.

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