Police have clarified that no firearms were discharged during the rescue of a kidnapped man that resulted in four men being arrested.

Counter terrorism officers attended Ditchling Road in Brighton yesterday evening after receiving a report of a kidnap.

A 20-year-old man of no fixed address and an 18-year-old man from Midhurst were arrested at the scene on suspicion of kidnap.

A third suspect ran from the address and made it onto a roof in nearby Vere Road, where he threw roof tiles.

A specialist negotiator was called and the 25-year-old, of no fixed address, was talked down from the roof and also arrested on suspicion of kidnap.

Read more: Terrorism police arrest four after man kidnapped and drugs found as man scales roof

A fourth suspect – a 27-year-old man of no fixed address – was arrested at the address on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

The 27-year-old victim was taken to a place of safety.

Superintendent Adele Tucknott, of Brighton Command, said distraction devices used during the operation will have resulted in “loud noises” which may have sounded like gun shots.

“After receiving a report of a kidnap, our priority was to safely recover the victim and detain any suspects,” she said.

“This involved a number of covert and overt tactics, including distraction devices.

“This will have resulted in a loud noise which we appreciate may have caused alarm to anyone in the area; no firearms were discharged.

“This is an ongoing investigation and I would urge anyone with any information about the incident to report it online or call 101, quoting Operation Bloomfield.

“I’d also like to thank the public for their patience and understanding while we dealt with the incident. The public can expect to see a heightened police presence in the area in the meantime.

“We are treating this as an isolated incident with no threat to the wider community.”

A section of Ditchling Road was temporarily closed while officers were in attendance and was reopened later that evening.