A man has been arrested outside Buckingham Palace after throwing suspected shotgun cartridges into Palace grounds, police said in a statement. The man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. There are no reports of any injuries and the incident is not currently being treated as terror-related.
Overnight rehearsals for the Coronation on Saturday went ahead as planned. Police said, the man was searched and a knife was found, but that he was not carrying a gun. They disclosed that he was also found to be in possession of a suspicious bag, and that a controlled explosion was carried out as precautionary measures, following an assessment by specialists.
It was understood that, the police treated the incident as an isolated mental health. The arrest comes just four days before the coronation of the King III, which will be attended by world leaders and other royals from around the world.
Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, described the response as “a fantastic piece of policing,” adding that “a huge security operation” has been put in place ahead of the Coronation.
“As you saw last night, the police and security services are absolutely ready to intervene when necessary,” Minister Tugendhat said.
The King and the Queen Consort, who live at nearby Clarence House, were not at Buckingham Palace at the time the arrest happened, although the King did host Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the palace earlier that day.
Chief Supt Joseph McDonald disclosed that, “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,” he averred. “Officers remain at the scene and further enquiries are ongoing,” Chief Supt Joseph McDonald added.
Also, the police cleared the area, where the incident happened, and conducted an immediate security checks, as protocol demands. Those around at the time the incident and the checks was being conducted, have said that, they could hear some explosions, as police detonates the seized bullets of the suspect.
The suspected shotgun cartridges have been recovered and were examined by specialists. Roads in the area were reopened and the cordons was lifted.
Coronation Day Nears
Rehearsals for the Coronation saw soldiers dressed in bright yellow and red uniforms file past the palace and along the Mall in the early hours of the morning. The parade also featured soldiers on horseback and the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which will carry the King and Queen Consort from the palace to Westminster Abbey.
Extra securities would be seen in the capital for the Coronation, which Policing Minister Chris Philp has described as a “huge policing operation.” Asked about the prospect of protesters disrupting the weekend’s events, Maj Gen Chris Ghika, a senior British Army officer overseeing the ceremony, said the Metropolitan Police has “an excellent security plan in place, which will allow the parade to go ahead.”
Chris Phillips, former head of the UK National Counter Terrorism Security Office, disclosed that, police have been planning for the Coronation for years, and that an “enormous amount of planning” has gone into the security
“The police should be celebrated for it, and fingers crossed it all goes well on Saturday,” he said.
