Police activity is seen after a man was arrested for allegedly throwing items, including suspected shotgun cartridges, into the grounds of Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, on Tuesday. Photo by Tolga Akmen/EPA-EFE
May 3 (UPI) — London’s Metropolitan Police have arrested a man who threw several items, including suspected shotgun cartridges, into the grounds of Buckingham Palace amid preparations for the coronation of King Charles III later this week.
The man, identified only as being 59-years-old, was arrested at around 7 p.m., local time, on Tuesday after he approached the gates of the palace and chucked the items into the palace grounds, authorities said.
The items have since been recovered, and a controlled explosion was conducted as a precaution, police said.
Cordons were also temporarily erected as the man was found in possession of a bag Metropolitan Police described as suspicious.
The incident is not considered to be terror related, and the man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon as a search discovered a knife on his person.
“Officers worked immediately to detain the man and he has been taken into police custody,” Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald said in a statement. “There were no reports of any shots fired, or any injuries to officers or members of the public.
“Enquiries are ongoing.”
Security minister Tom Tugendhat described the arrest in a Wednesday morning radio interview with BBC as “a fantastic piece of policing.”
“As you saw last night, the police and security services are absolutely ready to intervene when necessary,” he said.
Neither King Charles nor the Queen Consort, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, were at the palace when the arrest occurred.
The police activity also did not appear to hinder an overnight rehearsal for King Charles’ coronation scheduled for Saturday.
The British Army said some 7,000 military personnel rehearsed overnight Tuesday on the streets of London in preparation for the ceremony, which is expected to be attended by world leaders and other dignitaries.
Some 300 horses also were involved in the rehearsal, officials said.