London: Just days ahead of King Charles III’s coronation, UK police have arrested a man from outside the Buckingham Palace after throwing suspected shotgun cartridges.
Acording to the police, a cordon was erected and a controlled explosion carried out following the incident which took place at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the BBC reported.
The man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. There are no reports of any injuries.
The incident is not currently being treated as terror-related.
The police said the man was searched and a knife was found but that he was not carrying a gun.
The suspect was also found to be in possession of a suspicious bag and that a controlled explosion was carried out as a precaution following an assessment by specialists.
The police are treating it as an isolated mental health incident.
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.”
The King and the Queen Consort, who live at nearby Clarence House, were not at Buckingham Palace at the time of the arrest.
The incident came just four days before the King’s Coronation celebrations on Saturday, which will be attended by world leaders and other royals from around the world, reports the BBC.
Overnight rehearsals for the Coronation also went ahead as planned.
Rehearsals saw soldiers dressed in bright yellow and red uniforms file past the palace and along the Mall in the early hours of Wednesday 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.
–IANS
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