A man has been arrested for throwing 'shotgun cartridges' into the grounds of Buckingham Palace in a major security alert just days before King Charles' Coronation.
The GB News crew outside the historic building - including presenter Jacob Rees-Mogg - were evacuated and a controlled explosion was carried out, which could clearly be heard live on air.
Police cordons remain in place after the man was also found to be in possession of a suspicious bag and a knife.
Officers have confirmed that neither the King nor the Queen Consort were at Buckingham Palace at the time of the arrest.
An area of Buckingham Palace has been evacuated following the incident
GB News
Officers detained the man at around 7pm this evening after he approached the palace’s gates in central London and threw a number of items.
There have been no reports of any shots fired, or any injuries and the Metropolitan police has confirmed to GB News that the security incident is not terror related.
It is understood it is being treated as an isolated mental health incident.
The sound of an explosion could be heard during Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation broadcast outside of Buckingham Palace.
"We're just getting the latest word from the Metropolitan Police and we're going to have to evacuate now," he told viewers.
"So I'm very sorry to say that it is good evening from me for the time being as I think that was probably controlled explosion in the background. That's what it sounded like to me."
Officers have confirmed that the items have been recovered and will be taken for specialist examination.
Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald said: “Officers worked immediately to detain the man and he has been taken into police custody.
“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 enquiries are ongoing.”
The man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and will be taken into custody.
The incident comes just four days before King Charles' Coronation, with rehearsals scheduled to take place for the procession later this evening.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment and said the incident was a matter for the Met Police.
