(LONDON) A man suspected of being armed with a knife who approached the gates of Buckingham Palace before throwing suspected shotgun shells into the park was arrested on Tuesday evening, London police said.
The arrest, which took place around 7 p.m. local time (2 p.m. Eastern Time), comes days before the Saturday coronation of King Charles III, which is to be attended by sovereigns and world leaders.
“No shots were fired and no officers or members of the public were injured” and the man was “taken into custody”, said the police, who indicated that they were not handling the case at this stage. as a terrorism case.
The man approached the gates of the estate and threw several objects into the park, she added.
He was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a weapon.
“A security perimeter was established after the discovery of a suspicious bag on the man. Specialists went to the scene and, after an assessment, a controlled explosion was carried out as a precaution,” the police added in their statement.
“Police are still on site and further investigations are underway,” said the police.
British media say neither Charles III, 74, nor his wife Camilla, 75, were at the palace at the time. The king’s services did not comment.
The thoroughfare leading to Buckingham Palace has been closed to traffic ahead of Saturday’s coronation, the first to take place in the UK for 70 years.
Thousands of soldiers will take part in a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey as part of the coronation, and huge crowds are expected.
The security operation to protect this route is one of the largest in recent years. It will rely on rooftop snipers and undercover agents, as well as airport-style detectors, sniffer dogs and a no-fly zone over central London.