A man was arrested near Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. But the British security forces and intelligence are “ready to meet” the challenges posed by the coronation of Charles III, assured the Minister of Security on Wednesday. His arrest took place after he threw several objects in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, suspected of being rifle cartridges, London police said.
The man was in possession of a knife, he was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. Police said they are not handling the case as a terrorism case at this time. Charles and Camilla, whose coronation will take place on Saturday, were not in Buckingham at the time of the incident, according to British media. “I am very pleased to see that the police reacted incredibly quickly and professionally to the incident which took place last night,” Security Minister Tom Tugendhat told Sky News television.
“One of the most important security operations”
“Our intelligence and other security forces are acutely aware of the challenges we face and are ready to meet them, as the police did with flying colors yesterday,” he also told Time Radio. The coronation of Charles III will give rise to “one of the most important security operations” that the United Kingdom has known, underlined the minister.
“The coronation is not only a time to celebrate our new king but also to showcase the UK to the world. (…) There will be literally thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of foreign tourists, (…) journalists from all over the world and, of course, heads of state and government who will come to celebrate with us on Saturday” this event , he continued.
Snipers and sniffer dogs
The thoroughfare leading to Buckingham Palace has been closed to traffic ahead of the coronation, the first to take place in the UK in seventy years. Thousands of soldiers will take part in a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey as part of the coronation and huge crowds are expected.
The security operation will rely on rooftop snipers and undercover agents, as well as airport-style detectors, sniffer dogs and a no-fly zone over central London. Tom Tugendhat did not give the cost incurred by security around the coronation but rejected the figure of “at least 100 million pounds” mentioned by a journalist. “It’s not a number I recognize. It’s not going to be that much,” he replied.