A man was arrested outside Buckingham Palace over shot gun cartridges thrown into the palace grounds. The incident happened as rehearsals for the king’s coronation took place. Thousands of officers are being drawn from across the UK for the ceremonial event that will take place on 6th May 2023. Despite this incident, overnight rehearsals for the coronation went on as planned.
Police say the man was searched and a knife was found but he was not carrying a gun. They say he was also found to be in possession of a suspicious bag. A controlled explosion team did an assessment as a precaution.
According to the UK law, armed police who guard the palace can open fire if they perceive a threat to their lives or others but in this case no shots were fired. Scotland Yard said that the incident is not being treated as terror related, rather as an isolated mental health incident. Neither the King nor the Queen Consort were at Buckingham palace at the time of the man’s arrest.
The items the man allegedly threw into the palace are being analyzed. Officers remained at the scene and further investigations are ongoing. The suspect is said to have previously been seen at the palace shouting: “I’m going to kill the King.” Police were last night facing questions over security after witnesses told how the would-be attacker placed a bag by the gates.
One witness said “As soon as he placed the bag on the ground the police jumped on him. They were shouting at him, ‘Get down on the floor!’
“How on Earth was he allowed to get so close to the Palace with the Coronation almost upon us?”
A neighbor of the suspect said: “I would see him walking his dogs and wouldn’t have a bad word to say about him.
“If he’s gone there with intent, that’s really shocking.”
