A “suspicious bag” was destroyed in a controlled explosion outside Buckingham Palace, just days before the coronation of Charles III and Camilla, London’s Metropolitan Police said Tuesday. A man was quickly arrested at the scene after he threw suspected shotgun charges and other items over the palace fence, according to police. Police cordoned off the area briefly.
The man was arrested at about 7 p.m. local time on Tuesday after he threw “a number of items” onto the palace ground, Metropolitan Police said in a statement. He was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. Police said they found a knife on him, but he was not carrying a firearm.
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Police cordoned off the scene after they discovered the man was carrying a “suspicious bag.” Specialists arrived at the scene and conducted a “controlled explosion” as a precaution, and later removed the cordons. The items the man allegedly threw onto the palace grounds were recovered for further investigation.
“Officers worked immediately to detain the man and he has been taken into police custody,” Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald said in a statement. “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 inquiries are ongoing. At this time we are not treating the matter as terror-related.”
BBC Royal producer Sarah Parrish was in Buckingham Palace’s broadcast compound at the time and was told to leave, she told BBC News. Those who were evacuated “heard the controlled explosion and then we were allowed back in again,” Parrish said. The royal family has not commented on the incident, but King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla were not home at the time, the BBC reports.
King Charles’ formal coronation ceremony is set for Saturday, nine months after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died. This is the first coronation ceremony in 70 years. At 74, Charles is the oldest person to become king. His son, Prince William, 40, is now the heir apparent to the British throne.
On Tuesday, the Home Office confirmed that the Public Order Act will come into effect starting Wednesday, reports CNN. This allows U.K. police to take stronger action against peaceful protesters at a time when anti-monarchists are expected to protest the coronation. The law will “give police the powers to prevent disruption at major sporting and cultural events taking place this summer in England and Wales.”
Critics have also questioned the cost of the coronation during a cost-of-living crisis in the U.K. It is estimated that the event will cost £50 million to more than £100 million ($63 million to $125 million). Last week, The Mirror reported that it could cost as much as £250 million ($311 million), with £150 million of that on security alone.
