Coronation security fears after ‘knifeman with suspicious bag’ who camped for days ranting ‘I’m going to kill the King’ threw ‘shotgun cartridges’ into Buckingham Palace grounds hours after Charles, Camilla’s grandchildren and other figures were inside
- Police also carried out controlled explosion on a suspicious bag as a precaution
Police are facing security questions today after a man carrying a suspicious bag and a knife who had camped for days allegedly ranting he was going to kill the King threw suspected shotgun cartridges into the grounds of Buckingham Palace before he was arrested last night.
The palace was on lockdown yesterday after the Metropolitan Police detained the man at about 7pm after he approached the gates in central London and threw a number of items.
Though neither the King nor Queen were in residence at the time, Camilla’s grandchildren had been seen arriving at Buckingham Palace hours before – while Charles himself had held an audience with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier in the day.
Police carried out a precautionary controlled explosion which could be heard live on GB News, while cordons were put up in the area. Scotland Yard is not treating the incident as terror-related, and it understood it is being treated as an isolated mental health incident.
The bag held two passports, a phone, wallet, keys, bank cards, laptop case, picture of a child, and a large brown letter, according to The Sun. There was also a copy of the book The Happiness Advantage by Harvard lecturer Shawn Achor.
Minister Tom Tugendhat this morning appeared to play down concerns about the security scare and insisted that Britain is prepared for the challenges posed by the King’s Coronation on Saturday.
He told Times Radio: ‘The police are, to put it mildly, all over it, and our intelligence and other security forces are extremely aware of the challenge that we face. What we’ve been planning for a number of months now is one of the most important security operations that the country has put into plan.’
The arrest comes as a ring of steel is expected in the capital for the Coronation at Westminster Abbey.
This is the moment police arrest a man, believed to be in his 30s, who ‘threw shotgun cartridges’ into the grounds of Buckingham Palace. He was detained on suspicion of possessing a weapon. Witnesses say the suspect had stationed himself outside the palace over the ‘last few nights’ and was heard shouting: ‘I’m going to kill the King’
Police carried out a controlled explosion on the suspect’s bag as a precaution. Officers are pictured at the scene, by the bag
Police stand guard outside Buckingham Palace after a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a weapon
Witnesses said the man was seen throwing a ‘number of items’ in the residence grounds before he was arrested.
Footage shows how the handcuffed suspect hung his head as officers took him into custody. Police later carried out a controlled explosion on a suspicious bag as a precaution.
A witness told The Sun that the suspect had stationed himself outside the palace over the ‘last few nights’ and was heard shouting: ‘I’m going to kill the King.’
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Police cordoned off the area outside the palace after the suspect began targeting the royal residence.
Met Police chief superintendent Joseph McDonald said officers ‘worked immediately to detain the man’ – who is currently in custody.
A witness alleged that officers ‘jumped’ on the man ‘as soon as he placed the bag on the ground’.
‘They were shouting at him ‘get down on the floor,” the witness told The Sun, adding that it was ‘astonishing’ that the man was even able to get that close to the Palace with the Coronation just days away.
Royal super fans who are camped along The Mall told MailOnline they were shocked after the ‘big bang’ from the controlled explosion went off at Buckingham Palace.
While none saw the incident, many remarked they had heard a bang that sounded like a ‘gunshot’ as authorities detonated the suspected shotgun cartridges thrown over the fence.
Mary-Jane Willows, who has camped out at multiple royal events including the Diamond Jubilee, said: ‘The police threw a cordon up and there was a bang.’
But she added that royal super fans wouldn’t let the person responsible ruin their fun and he would be quickly forgotten when the event got closer.
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. Officers are pictured at the scene
Troops were seen rehearsing for the upcoming Coronation while the incident unfolded
The Metropolitan Police said officers arrested a man around 7pm last night after he approached the Palace gates
‘Let’s rub him away and forget about him’, she said.
One passerby remarked it was worrying, but the police had acted swiftly. The person, who asked to remain anonymous, said: ‘It’s concerning that someone would do something like this. Why would you want to do that? Everyone’s so excited about Saturday, it’s a shame someone wants to ruin that.
‘But the police seemed to have it under control, we didn’t know anything had happened until the big explosion.’
A controlled explosion was heard on live TV as police investigate suspicious bag at Buckingham Palace. Jacog Rees-Mogg was presenting at the time
A general view of Buckingham Palace after a man was arrested and a subsequent controlled explosion was carried out
The scene near Buckingham Palace after a man was arrested after throwing items suspected to be shotgun cartridges into the grounds of the Palace
Buckingham Palace confirmed the King and Queen were not in residence when the incident occurred. But a Royal spokesperson would not answer whether any other relatives or family members were there when it unfolded
An ambulance is pictured at Buckingham Palace after a man threw suspected shotgun cartridges into the palace grounds
Officers guard the gates outside the royal residence after a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing weapon
A controlled explosion was conducted as a precaution, Scotland Yard said, and the detonation was heard live on GB News.
The items thrown into the palace grounds ‘have been recovered and will be taken for specialist examination’, the Met said.
There were no reports of any shots fired, or any injuries to officers or members of the public.
‘Officers remain at the scene and further inquiries are ongoing,’ added Mr McDonald.
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
Police are seen outside the palace gates after the incident
Officers had detained the man and taken him into custody. Cordons had been put in place after the man was found to have a suspicious bag
MP Jacob Rees-Mogg was presenting from the palace for GB News while police carried out the controlled explosion.
The politician told MailOnline that he arrived at Buckingham Palace around 7.20pm, after the man had already been arrested.
‘It was all a bit odd,’ Mr Rees-Mogg recalled. ‘It wasn’t closed off yet.’
The MP, who was evacuated as the incident unfolded, added: ‘It wasn’t much at all. We could’ve carried on broadcasting rather than evacuating.’
Mr Rees-Mogg said that despite the incident, he has no safety concerns for the upcoming Coronation festivities.
Noting how the suspect ‘wasn’t near the King,’ Mr Rees-Mogg stated: ‘An event with millions of people poses some element of risk. The question is getting the balance right.’
He said the ‘key to this is not to overreact’ and believes the risk posed with the Coronation is ‘proportionate to scale of event’.
Buckingham Palace is on lockdown after a man threw suspected shotgun cartridges on the ground outside the royal residence – just days from Charles’ coronation
Police added that the objects were recovered, and that the man is now in custody after he was also found to be in possession of a ‘suspicious bag’
Officers stand guard near Buckingham Palace after a man threw a number of items – suspected to be shotgun cartridges – into the palace grounds
Officers are pictured outside Buckingham Palace after a man approached the palace’s gates in central London and threw a number of items
The arrest comes as police and security services prepare for King Charles’ coronation on Saturday, which is expected to see large crowds line the streets of London and heads of state from around the world attend the formal coronation ceremony.
Royal fans were also starting to set up camp along The Mall to ensure front-row seats of the historic event this weekend.
More than a dozen brave souls have set up tents and makeshift accommodation at the barriers days before thousands of people are expected to line the streets for the Coronation.
A jovial atmosphere has sprung up among the group, but this was punctured by the explosion.
Policing minister Chris Philp has said a ring of steel is expected in the capital for Charles’s coronation at Westminster Abbey on Saturday.
He described it as a ‘huge policing operation’, and heads of state and foreign royals from around the world are set to travel to the UK.
More than a dozen brave souls have set up tents and makeshift accommodation at the barriers outside Buckingham Palace (pictured) days before thousands of people are expected to line the streets for the Coronation
Members of the military march near Buckingham Palace in central London on Tuesday during a rehearsal for the coronation of King Charles III
Members of a military band march along the Mall near Buckingham Palace during a rehearsal for the coronation of King Charles III which will take place at Westminster Abbey on May 6
Royal fans were also starting to set up camp along The Mall to ensure front-row seats of the historic event this weekend. Members of the military march are pictured above
In February, Jaswant Singh Chail, then 21, admitted a charge under the Treason Act of trying to harm the late Queen.
He was caught in the grounds of Windsor Castle with a loaded crossbow on Christmas Day 2021, close to the late Queen’s private residence, where she and other members of the royal family were at the time.
The former supermarket worker had scaled the perimeter of the grounds with a nylon rope ladder at around 6am – wearing black clothes, gloves and a metal mask – and later told an officer: ‘I’m here to kill the Queen.’Chail, from Southampton, Hampshire, appeared at the Old Bailey by video link in February and pleaded guilty to three charges, including an offence under the Treason Act.
He also admitted to making a threat to kill the Queen and having a loaded crossbow in a public place.
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