A man carrying a mysterious package has been arrested for allegedly throwing suspected shotgun cartridges into the grounds of Buckingham Palace. This marks a serious security incident just days before King Charles III's coronation. The Telegraph reports the incident occurred at 7pm local time on Tuesday. It prompted an immediate cordoning off of the area, though the cordons have since been removed. Concerns over the coronation's heightened security have escalated, with the UK's counter-terrorism police issuing a public warning to "stay alert" during the Saturday celebrations.
Police say they searched the man's "suspicious bag" and evacuated the media area in front of the place. The Metropolitan Police then carried out a controlled explosion as a precaution. According to the BBC, the man, who also had a knife, was taken in on "suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon," and police are treating the matter "an isolated mental health incident" instead of terrorism. Neither the King nor Queen Consort were at the Palace at the time. The BBC reports that Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald confirmed that officers swiftly apprehended the man, and no police or members of the public were injured in the process. (More Buckingham Palace stories.)