Terror arrest near Houses of Parliament

A man who was carrying knives near the Houses of Parliament has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences.

The man, in his 20s, was arrested at 14:22 BST by armed police as part of an intelligence-led operation on Parliament Street.

A witness described seeing two knives on the ground, one of which he described as a large bread knife.

The Metropolitan Police said there were no injuries. The suspect is in custody in a south London police station.

The statement added: “The man, aged in his late 20s, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Knives have been recovered from him.

“Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat.”

Security remains tight outside Whitehall buildings following the terror attack on 22 March, in which PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death at the entrance of Parliament.

Khalid Masood killed four people when he drove along Westminster Bridge, before getting out and attacking the officer. Masood was then shot dead by armed police.

Source: bbc.co.uk