A man wielding a knife has been arrested close to Buckingham Palace in London, although Scotland Yard said the incident was not believed to be terror-related.
Eyewitness reports describe a man being surrounded by officers and handcuffed as he sat on the pavement in The Mall at around 10.40am today.
The incident occurred just 30 seconds before the Queen was reported to have passed by, by which point he had been bundled into a police van and driven away.
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A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: "Police arrested a man at the Mall, SW1, in possession of a knife. Patrolling officers detained and arrested the man at 10.40am today.
"No one was injured and a knife was recovered. The man has been taken to a central London police station.
"It is not believed to be terror-related."
The incident comes as troops hit the streets of Britain, as the threat of terror is raised to 'critical' following an attack at Manchester Arena on Monday night
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The changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace has been cancelled today in light of Monday night's events in the North-west.
A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "The decision has been taken in order to release the police who would otherwise be dealing with the road closures."
The Palace of Westminster is also closed today after advice from police. All tours, events and banquets are cancelled until further notice.
Knife crime is a major issue in the nation's capital. Just three days ago, police were forced to pull a Taser on a 'violent' and 'aggressive' man who brandished a kitchen knife in front of shocked customers in Tesco in east London.
When they arrived, security staff had managed to lock the man in a room; however, he was still armed with the knife, police said.
He had smashed the security glass of the door and injured himself as he tried to escape from the locked room.
A Met Police spokesman said: "As the male was still armed with the knife and it being unknown if he had any further weapons on him, he was challenged by Taser officers, where he was talked into a position of control and quickly handcuffed.
"He was then arrested for being in possession of a pointed and bladed article, namely a five-inch kitchen knife and for causing criminal damage.
"He remains in an east London police station where the investigation continues."
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Source: The Sun
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