London. A report by BBC citing the police said that a man was arrested outside Buckingham Palace, on Tuesday (May 2) after throwing suspected shotgun cartridges into palace grounds. The area around the palace has been cordoned off after the man was detained by police at around 19:00 (local time) after approaching the gates of the palace.
The incident comes just four days before King Charles’ Coronation, with rehearsals scheduled to take place for the procession later this evening. According to London’s Metropolitan Police, the man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. A controlled explosion was carried out as a precaution after an assessment from specialists, said the media report.
Police Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald said, “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,” reported the British media.
He added, “Officers remain at the scene and further enquiries are ongoing.”
Meanwhile, a controlled explosion was carried out as a precaution after an assessment from specialists, reported BBC. The police also said that the man approached the gates of Buckingham Palace and threw a number of items including, suspected to be shotgun cartridges, into the Palace grounds.
He was also “found to be in possession of a suspicious bag,” said the Metropolitan Police, in a statement. It added, “At this time we are not treating the matter as terror-related.”
According to media reports, the King and Queen Consort were not at Buckingham Palace at the time of the incident. Buckingham Palace officials are yet to comment. This comes as the Mall leading to the palace, has been closed off to traffic in preparation for Saturday’s coronation. King Charles’ coronation is the first to take place in Britain for 70 years and London is set to witness huge crowds including thousands of ceremonial troops taking part in the procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. (with inputs from agencies)
(With inputs from agencies)
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
