A controlled explosion has taken place outside Buckingham Palace this evening after a man was detained by police.
In a statement released by the Metropolitan Police, the force said they had arrested a man after he threw a number of items, suspected to be shotgun cartridges, into the palace grounds.
He was also said to be in possession of a suspicious bag. A controlled explosion was conducted as a 'precaution', Scotland Yard said, and the detonation was heard live on GB News.
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Neither the King nor the Queen Consort were at Buckingham Palace at the time of the arrest. Buckingham Palace declined to comment and said the incident was a matter for the Metropolitan Police.
The terrifying incident unfolded at around 7pm this evening (2 May), after the man was seen to approach the gates of the palace.
Police say they are not currently treating the incident as terror-related. It is understood it is being treated as an isolated mental health incident.
It comes as huge crowds have began flocking to the capital ahead of King Charles III Coronation, which is set to take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday (6 May).
A man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and has been taken to custody, the Met Police said.
Cordons were put in place after he was found with a “suspicious bag” but have since been removed, the force added.
No further details have been released about the incident at this stage. There is currently a massive police presence outside the grounds.
In a statement the Metropolitan Police said: "Officers quickly detained a man at around 19.00hrs on Tuesday, 2 May after he approached the gates of Buckingham Palace SW1 and threw a number of items - suspected to be shotgun cartridges - into the palace grounds.
"These have been recovered and will be taken for specialist examination. There have been no reports of any shots fired, or any injuries.
"The man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and will be taken into custody. Cordons are in place after the man was also found to be in possession of a suspicious bag.
"Specialists are in attendance and will assess the item."
This is a breaking news story and updates will follow.
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