A man who was arrested after 'throwing shotgun cartridges into the grounds of Buckingham Palace' last night was allegedly also found to be in possession of a knife and a suspicious bag.
The palace went into lockdown as Metropolitan Police detained the 59-year-old man at about 7pm after he was seen throwing multiple items.
Footage shows the suspect in handcuffs as officers took him into custody after he was also said to have shouted "I'm going to kill the King!", according to reports.
Police seized the bag and found two passports, a mobile phone, a wallet, keys, a large brown letter, bank cards, and a laptop case.
Bizarrely, there also appeared to be a photo of a small child and a book, The Happiness Advantage - which is all about using positive psychology to “enhance individual achievement”.
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The man was arrested last nightYesterday, security sources said it was understood that police were treating the disturbance as an isolated mental health incident and not terror-related.
No shots were fired during the incident, and police say there is no ongoing risk to the public.
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla were not at the palace at the time, a spokesman confirmed.
He was arrested yesterdayA witness told The Sun that the suspect had put himself outside the palace and been previously been seen shouting: "I’m going to kill the King.”
The incident comes just four days before King Charles' Coronation, with the final rehearsals scheduled to take place for the procession last night.
Some roads in the area had already been closed in preparation. More than 7,000 service personnel from the British Army, Navy, Air Force, and across the Commonwealth gathered last night for the rehearsal.
A man was arrested and taken into custody (UkNewsinPictures)As part of the coronation, the military will be part of a procession to and from Westminster Abbey, and a flypast over Buckingham Palace.
The massive security exercise saw thousands of police manning London’s streets, backed up by elite teams of armed guards, snipers and the armed forces to surround the ancient church.
Dozens of undercover officers will mingle with the crowds as the King and Queen Consort make their way to and from Buckingham Palace, while state-of-the-art drone jamming technology will be deployed during the Coronation procession.
Heavy police presence outside the palace last night (UkNewsinPictures)A statement from the Metropolitan Police last night said: "Officers quickly detained a man at around 7pm on Tuesday, May 2, after he approached the gates of Buckingham Palace SW1 and threw a number of items - suspected to be shotgun cartridges - into the Palace grounds.
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"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."
Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald commented: “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.
“Officers remain at the scene and further enquiries are ongoing.”
Dai Davies, the former chief superintendent and head of the royal protection unit, said: "This incident just goes to show that the police and entire security services have to be on high alert at every moment.
"Every scenario possible will have been thought out and played out in the minds of those in charge of such a huge operation, but the threats can come from all angles, terrorists, anarchists, lone wolves, even those looking to disrupt the event.
"Ensuring the safety of so many world leaders, foreign royalty and other VIPs across multiple locations is a huge undertaking.
"It is comforting this threat was taken care of in a quick and ultimately safe fashion but everyone will be on high alert."
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