Man arrested outside Buckingham Palace for throwing suspected shotgun cartridges ahead of King's Coronation
London, May 03: A man was arrested outside Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday for throwing suspected shotgun cartridges into the palace grounds. The incident occurred just days before the coronation of King Charles III, which will be attended by global royalty and world leaders.
Police said that the man threw several items into the palace after approaching the gates, and he was later arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. A controlled explosion was carried out on a suspicious bag as a precaution.
Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald stated that officers worked immediately to detain the man, and he has been taken into police custody. There were no reports of shots fired or any injuries to officers or members of the public. Officers remain at the scene, and further inquiries are ongoing. Buckingham Palace officials declined to comment on the incident.
According to British media reports, neither King Charles III nor his wife Queen Consort Camilla were at the palace during the incident. The Mall, leading to Buckingham Palace, has been closed off to traffic in preparation for Saturday's coronation, which is the first to take place in Britain for 70 years. Thousands of ceremonial troops will take part in a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey as part of the coronation, with huge crowds expected.
The security operation to protect the route to and from the abbey, dubbed Operation Golden Orb, is one of the biggest in recent years. It will include rooftop snipers and undercover officers, as well as airport-style scanners, sniffer dogs, and a no-fly zone over central London. The cartridges that were thrown into the palace grounds have been recovered and will be taken for specialist examination, according to a police statement.
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- With inputs from agencies
