A man was arrested on Tuesday from the gate of Buckingham Palace. (file)
London:
The Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday that the arrest of a man at the gate of Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday evening is not believed to be terrorism-related.
Meanwhile, Britain’s security minister Tom Tugendhat insisted he was “very proud” of the police response to the incident, which began as King Charles and Queen Camilla’s grand coronation ceremony, from the palace gates to the procession towards Westminster Abbey Came a few days before leaving. ,
Buckingham Palace said neither the King nor the Queen were at the palace at the time of the incident.
The suspect, whose actions are being referred to by police sources as a separate mental health incident, remains under arrest on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon after the shotgun cartridges were dumped in the palace grounds.
A “suspicious bag” in his possession was subjected to a controlled explosion by specialist Met Police officers as a precautionary measure.
The government is mounting “a massive security operation” ahead of the coronation, and Tugendhat said that “the intelligence services, the police and others have been working extremely effectively on this for months”.
“As you saw last night, the police and security services are fully prepared to intervene if necessary,” he told the BBC.
Met Police Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald said, “Officers immediately detained the man and he was taken into police custody.” There were no reports of officers or members of the public being shot or injured. “
The police force said that the roads which were closed in view of the incident have been reopened.
Met Police are conducting one of their biggest police operations in history as it prepares for the historic coronation procession which will leave the palace grounds for the Abbey on Saturday morning and make the return journey in the afternoon.
An estimated 7,000 military personnel have been training for the grand spectacle which includes mounted and foot marching officers with the royal procession through the streets of London.
“The coronation service itself will last two hours and will remain a sacred Anglican service, but there will be representation of other faiths to reflect the diversity of modern Britain,” said Edward FitzAlan-Howard, Earl Marshal, Duke of Norfolk – whose family dates back to the 15th century. Since then it has had the responsibility of delivering state occasions such as coronations.
“It was agreed in the early stages of planning that it would not be possible to close the abbey for five months in order to build additional seating to allow 8,000 people to attend, as was the case for the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth This was due, he said, to the cost and challenges of new seating within this ancient building, and the impact it would have on the abbey’s regular schedule.
“This time around invitations have been sent to around 2,300 people, and the composition will reflect a wider cross-section of national and international guests,” he added.
Around 100 heads of state from around the world are expected to attend, including members of the Royal Family, representatives of the Realms and the Commonwealth and government, the House of Lords and Commons, local heroes and selected individuals who are medal winners and contributors to the British Empire. to society.
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