London’s Met Police arrested a man at around 7pm today after he approached the gates of Buckingham Palace in central London as Coronation rehearsals were taking place. He threw shotgun cartridges into the grounds of the Palace and was detained on suspicion of possessing a weapon.
Witnesses said the man, believed to be in his 30s, was seen throwing a ‘number of items’ in the residence grounds before he was arrested and detained. Police later carried out a controlled explosion on a suspicious bag as a precaution.
A witness told The Sun that the suspect had been seen loitering outside the palace over the ‘last few nights’ and was heard shouting: ‘I’m going to kill the King.’
Police say they are not currently treating the incident as terror-related. It is understood it is being treated as an isolated mental health incident.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the King and Queen were not in residence when the incident occurred. But a Royal spokesperson would not answer whether any other relatives or family members were there when it unfolded.
Met Police chief superintendent Joseph McDonald said in a statement: “Officers worked immediately to detain the man and he has been taken into police custody. There have been no reports of any shots fired, or any injuries to officers or members of the public. Officers remain at the scene and further inquiries are ongoing.”
Police added that the objects were recovered, and that the man is now in custody after he was also found to be in possession of a “suspicious bag”.
“The man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and will be taken into custody” he added.
“Cordons are in place after the man was also found to be in possession of a suspicious bag. Specialists are in attendance and will assess the item.”
