Man arrested at Buckingham Palace gates charged under Mental Health Act

A man who was arrested outside Buckingham Palace in London two days ago has been detained under the Mental Health Act, Scotland Yard said on Thursday.

The Metropolitan Police were called at around 19:00hrs local time on Tuesday, just days before King Charles III’s Coronation ceremony on Saturday, after a man approached the gates of the palace.

He threw a number of items believed to be shotgun cartridges into the grounds. The King was not inside the palace at the time of the incident.

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“Officers responded and quickly detained a 59-year-old man who was found with a knife. He was not in possession of a firearm,” the Met Police said.

“He was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and taken into custody. On Wednesday May 3, he was detained under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital. He will remain on bail whilst receiving medical care,” the police added.

Cordons were in place after the incident after the man was also found to be in possession of a bag. Specialists attended and a controlled explosion was conducted as a precaution.

There were no reported injuries and the incident is not being treated as terror-related, the police said.

The Met Police are in the midst of mounting one of its largest policing operations for the historic coronation, with 29,000 police officers to be deployed during the course of the week.