The officer, who is in his 40s, has now been “further arrested” on suspicion of murder and a separate allegation of indecent exposure, the Metropolitan Police said in an update on Wednesday.

The suspect had worked on the beat around embassies in London, and remains in custody at a police station in the capital, a Met spokesperson said.

A woman in her 30s who was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of assisting an offender remains in custody.

Police have conducted searches across London and the Southeast, including at a property in the Kent town of Deal and an area of woodland near the town of Ashford.

Investigators described the development in the case as significant and the identity of the man “shocking and deeply disturbing.”

“We will continue to work with all speed on this investigation but the fact that the arrested man is a serving Metropolitan Police officer is both shocking and deeply disturbing,” Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave said.

“I understand there will be significant public concern but it is essential that the investigative team are given the time and space to continue their work.”

Everard went missing on the evening of March 3 after leaving a friend’s flat in Leathwaite Road to walk home to Brixton. She was last seen on CCTV on the Poynders Road, about 30 minutes after starting her walk. Originally from York, she moved to London about 12 years ago and has two siblings, who also live in the city.

The Met’s Specialist Crime Command had taken the investigation into her disappearance due to its complex nature and concern for the missing woman’s wellbeing. The arrests follow a massive search operation in the South London area where Everard was last seen, which the police cordoned off on Tuesday.