Buckingham Palace attacker suspected of terrorism
A man with '4-foot sword' assaulted two police officers shouting 'Allahu akbar' outside Buckingham Palace on Friday night; police investigating suspected terrorism.
British counterterrorism police on Saturday were investigating a man who was detained Friday night after he drove a car at police outside Buckingham Palace then “reached for a 4-foot sword,” injuring three police officers.
The Metropolitan Police force said officers stopped a 26-year-old man who deliberately drove at a police van near Queen Elizabeth II’s London residence, one of the city’s top tourist attractions.
“Uniformed officers then confronted the driver of the vehicle and during that confrontation the driver reached for a 4-foot sword” in the car, Dean Haydon, commander of the Metropolitan Police counterterrorism branch, said.
The suspect repeatedly shouted “Allahu akbar,” which means “God is great” in Arabic, Haydon said. Three London police officers were slightly injured while struggling to arrest him, he added.
Haydon said the arrest was an isolated incident, adding that police presence was heightened in London regardless because of the long Bank Holiday weekend.
The suspect was taken to the hospital for minor injuries and remained in custody in a London police station. No one other than him and the police officers was injured.
The suspect was initially arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and assault on police. He was then further arrested under Britain's Terrorism Act.
Police said they were investigating a 26-year-old man from the Luton area, an ethnically diverse town 35 miles (55 km) north of London where police have carried out investigations linked to other militant attacks, including one earlier this year on London's Westminster Bridge.
British media reported that no members of the royal family were in Buckingham Palace at the time.
Buckingham Palace did not comment and directed all questions to London police. It said tours of the parts of the palace that are open to the public in summer were unaffected Saturday.
"My partner saw a sword ... as well as a policeman with blood on him, looking like his hand or chest was injured. The police officer had it in his hand, walking away with it," said an unnamed witness quoted by The Times newspaper, who said tourists were running away from the scene.
"Something happened before, which is why the people ran away. I'm not sure what this was. But people were already scared and I saw the policeman pull the man from the car" the witness said.
Witness Kiana Williamson said she saw officers trying to wrestle a man out of a car that had stopped near the palace. In less than a minute, “the man had been restrained and looked almost unconscious by the side of the road,” Williamson said.
Police appealed to witnesses to come forward with any further information on the incident.
"This is a timely reminder that the threat from terrorism in the UK remains severe," Haydon added. "The police, together with the security services, are doing everything we can to protect the public and we already have an enhanced policing plan over the Bank Holiday weekend to keep the public safe."
Reuters contributed to this report.
