Armed officers have arrested a man in connection with preparing a terror attack just yards from Downing Street.

Police say the 27-year-old was carrying a rucksack containing several knives, which are being examined by forensic officers.

Image: A man is led away by police after the arrest in Whitehall

The suspect was known to police prior to his arrest, according to Sky sources.

Roads were locked down as officers carried out the arrest - pushing the man to the ground before holding him at the scene.

No one was injured in the incident, and Whitehall has since reopened northbound.

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Image: The Prime Minister was not at Downing Street at the time of the incident

The Metropolitan Police said the man was stopped at 2.22pm on Thursday as part of an ongoing operation. He has been taken to a south London police station where he is being held under the Terrorism Act.

The arrest took place at the Parliament Street junction with Parliament Square, close to the scene of last month's terror attack which killed five people, including police officer Keith Palmer, on 22 March.

Image: A forensic investigator recovers a knife from the scene

Theresa May was not at Number 10 at the time of the incident.

Speaking from a General Election campaign event in Derbyshire, the Prime Minister said: "I'm aware that a man has been arrested in Whitehall today and that individual has been arrested on the basis of a terrorism charge.

"I think it shows that our police and intelligence and security services are on alert as they always are - looking to keep us safe and secure. I would say we owe a huge debt of gratitude to these people."

Forensics officers on scene of terror incident

London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: "Thanks to all officers who dealt swiftly & professionally with the incident in Whitehall. The Met Commissioner has briefed me on the arrest."

A Met police statement said: "The man, aged in his late twenties, 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."

Image: The moment the suspect was arrested

A builder working on the road nearby said: "I saw the police officers catch him. They caught him and got him on the ground."

Asked if the suspect was waving knives, acting aggressively or shouting, the witness said: "No."

Another witness said the suspect was "very calm" as he was arrested, and did not struggle as he was held on the ground.</s>Scotland Yard on Thursday said it foiled a terror attack and arrested a 27-year-old man armed with knives near the UK Parliament on terrorism charges, a month after a lone wolf attack left five people dead near the highly guarded Westminster. The suspect was carrying a rucksack containing knives when he was detained “following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation”, police said.

Whitehall, the political heart of London which houses Downing Street and other government buildings culminating in Parliament Square, and Parliament Street were closed to traffic as Metropolitan Police officers and forensics officers continued their investigation.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the man has been arrested under the UK’s Terrorism Act and is being questioned at a south London police station.

“The 27-year-old man was arrested in Parliament Street, junction with Parliament Square, by armed officers from the Met’s Specialist Firearms Command. He was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism,” Met Police said in a statement.

“Knives have been recovered from him,” it added.

Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are continuing their investigation in the area but police stressed there was no immediate known threat to the public following the incident, which took place just yards from the British Prime Minister’s official residence on Downing Street.

Prime Minister Theresa May was not in Downing Street during the police operation in Whitehall, her spokesman said.

She was informed about the incident by officials.

May later said: “I think it shows that our police and our intelligence and security services are on the alert, as they always are, looking to keep us safe and secure.”

According to reports, the arrest was the result of an ongoing anti-terrorism operation and that the arrested man was on the radar of intelligence officers.

Images from the site of the arrest on Parliament Square showed two officers handcuffing a man, whose hands looked wrapped with a white bandage.

Eyewitnesses described seeing a back-pack lying on the ground near the suspect along with two knives – one referred to as a large bread knife.

They said the suspect being arrested looked calm while officers handcuffed him.

Security was instantly further beefed up in central London and several police helicopters could be heard on patrol.

Westminster area of London remains on high alert since the terror attack on Parliament on March 22, which claimed five lives including terror suspect Khalid Masood.

The British Muslim suspect had mounted the pavement in a car at high speed after mowing down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer at the gates of Parliament.

The gates of the Palace of Westminster, which houses the Parliament building, were quickly closed down as today’s arrest unfolded.

The terrorism threat level for the UK remains at severe, which means an attack is assessed to be highly likely.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now</s>A man armed with knives was on Thursday arrested near the on suspicion of planning a terror attack, said.

 

 The suspect was carrying a rucksack containing knives when he was detained "following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation", police said.

Whitehall, the political heart of London which houses the and other government buildings culminating in Parliament Square, and were closed to traffic as Metropolitan Police officers and forensics officers continued their investigation.The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the man in his 20s has been arrested under the UK's Terrorism Act and is being questioned at a south London police station."The man was arrested in Parliament Street, junction with Parliament Square, by armed officers from the Met's Specialist Firearms Command. 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," Met Police said in a statement."Knives have been recovered from him," it added.Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are continuing their investigation in the area but police stressed there was no immediate known threat to the public following the incident.According to reports, the arrest was the result of an ongoing anti-terrorism operation and that the arrested man was on the radar of intelligence officers.Images from the site of the arrest showed two officers handcuffing a man, whose hands looked wrapped with a white bandage.Eyewitnesses described seeing a back-pack lying on the ground near the suspect along with two knives - one referred to as a large bread knife.Westminster area of London remains on high alert since the terror attack on Parliament on March 22, which claimed five lives including terror suspect Khalid Masood.The British Muslim suspect had mounted the pavement in a car at high speed after mowing down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer at the gates of Parliament.The gates of the Palace of Westminster, which houses the Parliament building, were quickly closed down as today's arrest unfolded.</s>‘Knives’ seen as man arrested near UK parliament

A man is held by police in Westminster after an arrest was made on Whitehall in central London April 27, 2017. — Reuters pic

LONDON, April 27 — Police swooped on a man close to the Houses of Parliament in London today, with eyewitnesses telling AFP they saw knives on the ground.

The incident comes a month after the March 22 attack in which a man drove into pedestrians, killing four, and stabbed a police officer to death at the gates of parliament.

“Man arrested in Westminster. No reported injuries,” Scotland Yard said on their Twitter account.

“Officers are on the scene.”

An AFP photographer saw firearms officers surrounding the man and pinning him to the ground at a pedestrian island.

David Wisniowski, who was working on a building site right next to the incident, told AFP he could see “three knives on the floor, one big one and two small”.

Gabrielle Hennessy, 20, a US tourist, described seeing police rush at a man.

“We were walking along Parliament Square and we saw police rush at him. And then he was on the ground surrounded by police. They stood him up and that’s when I saw the knife on the ground,” she told AFP.

Police have taped off the area in question. — AFP</s>A man armed with knives was arrested on suspicion of terrorism today in London near the Houses of Parliament, police said.

Authorities have cordoned off Whitehall and Parliament Street, where the suspect was arrested, near Parliament Square this afternoon, following a stop-and-search operation.

The suspect, identified as a 27-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, according to London's Metropolitan Police Service.

Authorities recovered knives from the man, who is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody at a police station in south London.

The Metropolitan Police Service said the investigation is ongoing and "as a result of the arrest there is no immediate known threat."

ABC News' Wilford Marcus and Joseph Simonetti contributed to this report.</s>A man has been arrested by armed police near the houses of parliament on suspicion of acts of terrorism, and knives have been recovered from him.

No injuries have been reported and police said the incident was no longer ongoing. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he had been briefed by the Met commissioner Cressida Dick on the arrest.

Pictures from the scene showed forensic officers examining knives on the pavement near where the arrest took place.



An eyewitness told BuzzFeed News he saw knives spill out of a backpack when the arrest was made.

Police said a 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, and on suspicion of the commission, preparation, and instigation of acts of terrorism.



The Metropolitan police said he was arrested at 2:22pm following a stop and search as part of an ongoing investigation.



“He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station,” the statement said.



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

A man has been arrested in Whitehall this afternoon, at approximately 14:22, following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation. The 27-year-old man was arrested in Parliament Street, junction with Parliament Square, by armed officers from the Met’s Specialist Firearms Command. He 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. He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station. Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat.

An area around Whitehall near the Treasury building was closed following the arrest, and armed police were seen in the streets.



A witness told BuzzFeed News he had seen a man being held against the wall by armed officers.



“On the floor was a backpack with knives falling out of it,” said Luke William, 28, from Southampton, who was driving through Westminster at the time. “Lots of police, lots of traffic, as you can imagine.”

The arrest came on the day that prorogation takes place in parliament, marking the end of the parliamentary session. Most MPs were not in the Commons today, but many members of the House of Lords were present.

Security has been increased in Westminster following last month’s deadly attack in which Khalid Masood killed four people before being shot dead by armed police.</s>These dramatic pictures show a collection of large knives found after a suspected terrorist was arrested in the heart of Westminster.

Witnesses reported seeing armed police swoop on the man - thought to be 27 - during a "stop and search" yards from Downing Street.

After the alleged planned attack was thwarted forensics officers photographed the knives and backpack on the floor, and collected the would-be weapons as evidence.

At least one of the kitchen knives appeared to have a blade about 6ins long as it was handled by officers at the scene.

Passers-by, including dozens of tourists, looked on as the bearded man was arrested just yards from the scene of last month's terror attack which left five victims and the assailant dead.

In Thursday's incident police swarmed on Whitehall shortly before 2.30pm and locked down the area around Parliament Street.

The suspect was tackled and arrested on a pavement near an entrance to Westminster Tube station.

Scotland Yard said no-one was injured in the incident.

The main gates to the Houses of Parliament - where PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death in last month's attack - were shut and armed officers were standing guard.

Counter-terrorism police have launched an investigation into the man's alleged plans for an alleged attack.

He was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.

He is being held at a south London police station.

A police spokesperson said: "A man has been arrested in Whitehall this afternoon, at approximately 14:22, following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation.

"The 27-year-old man was arrested in Parliament Street, junction with Parliament Square, by armed officers from the Met's Specialist Firearms Command.

"He 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.

"He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station.

"Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat."</s>British police on Thursday said armed officers arrested a man carrying knives near Prime Minister Theresa May’s office in Westminster on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism.

“The 27-year-old man was detained by counter-terrorism officers on Parliament Street, a stone’s throw from the UK parliament building and May’s Downing Street office.

“He was arrested during a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation,’’ London police said.

May’s spokesman said the prime minister was not at Downing Street at the time; however no one was injured in the incident.

The incident came just over a month after a British-born convert to Islam ploughed a car into pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge, killing four people, before stabbing to death a police officer in the grounds of parliament.

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

“The man 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,’’ police said in a statement.

A news agency said the man was being followed and tracked by police as part of a counter-terrorism operation when the arrest took place.

It added that pictures on social media showed a large group of heavily armed officers surrounding the suspect.

Police said the man was being held at a south London police station.

The post UK police arrest man with knives in Westminster appeared first on Vanguard News.

This post was syndicated from Vanguard News. Click here to read the full text on the original website.

Also, Like us on facebook</s>A man armed with several knives has been arrested in Whitehall, London, on suspicion of planning a terror attack, Scotland Yard said.

The suspect was carrying a rucksack containing at least three knives when he was detained "following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation", police said.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement that he was held at approximately 2.22pm on Thursday by armed officers from the Specialist Firearms Command.

It went on: "The man, aged in his late twenties, 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.

"He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station.

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

The suspect was held yards from the scene of last month's terror attack by Khalid Masood.

The bearded suspect, who was dressed in dark clothing, was wrestled to the ground on a traffic island at the Parliament Square end of Whitehall, close to the Foreign Office and the entrance to Downing Street.

Images from the scene showed three knives and what appeared to be a mobile on the ground close to a brown rucksack.

An officer in forensic overalls could be seen taking photographs of the knives.

The suspect was detained at the scene for several minutes within view of journalists and passers by before he was eventually taken away in a police vehicle.

Recruiters Harry Peasnell, 27, and Andy Burnage, 22, were leaving the adjacent building which houses various Government offices after a meeting with officials when they were told over the tannoy the usual entrance on to Whitehall was closed.

As they made their way back towards Parliament from the alternative House Guards Road entrance they said they were pushed back up Great George Street by several plain clothes police officers.

They then made their way to Parliament Square where they said they saw a man in his 20s or 30s, who they thought was the suspect, being spoken to by police next to the wall of the offices.

Mr Peasnell, who says he regularly has meetings in Westminster, said police were "quick on the scene" and that he was not worried like he was during the terror attack in the area just weeks ago.

"Last time all the buildings were on lockdown and no one was allowed to leave," he said.

Westminster has been on a state of heightened alert since Masood launched his attack on March 22, killing five people, including Pc Keith Palmer.

Masood drove at pedestrians before stabbing Pc Palmer as he guarded the cobbled forecourt of the Palace of Westminster. He was shot dead by police.

A builder working on the road nearby said: "I saw the police officers catch him. They caught him and got him on the ground."

Asked if the suspect was waving knives, acting aggressively or shouting, the witness said: "No."</s>A man reportedly armed with several knives has been arrested in Whitehall on suspicion of planning a terror attack, police have said. The Metropolitan Police added that the man had also been arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon following a stop and search. The suspect was carrying a rucksack containing at least three knives, they added. It is thought the man was known to counter-terror police and intelligence services prior to the arrest. Images from the scene show that the man had been wrestled to the ground by police. A witness at the scene said the suspect had not been acting aggressively or shouting.

No injuries have been reported. Images from the scene showed a backpack and at least one knife on the ground. An officer in forensic overalls could be seen taking photographs of the bag and knives.

Armed police have closed the main gates to Parliament and traffic has been restricted outside the road leading to Downing Street - the residence of Theresa May and ministries. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said Theresa May was not at Number 10 during the incident and it did not stop work in Downing Street from taking place. Speaking from Derbyshire where she is campaigning ahead of the General Election, Mrs May said she was "aware" of what had happened in Whitehall and praised the "bravery" of the police, intelligence and security services.

The Prime Minister continued: "It shows that our police, and our intelligence, and our security services are on the alert as they always are, looking to keep us safe and secure. "We owe a huge debt of gratitude to these people, many of who are unseen, unheard, yet the job they do day in, day out to keep us secure is a really important one and we should thank them for it."

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said the arrest was made following a stop and search. "A man has been arrested in Whitehall this afternoon, at approximately 2.22pm, following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation. "The 27-year-old man was arrested in Parliament Street, junction with Parliament Square, by armed officers from the Met's Specialist Firearms Command. "He 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. "He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station. "Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat."

Harry Peasnell, 27, a recruiter who often attends meetings in Westminster, said police were "quick on the scene" and that he was not worried like he was during the terror attack in the area just weeks ago. "Last time all the buildings were on lockdown and no one was allowed to leave," he said, adding that on Thursday people were allowed to leave the buildings. Westminster has been on a state of heightened alert since Khalid Masood launched an attack on March 22, killing five people, including Pc Keith Palmer. Masood drove at pedestrians before stabbing Pc Palmer as he guarded the cobbled forecourt of the Palace of Westminster. Masood was shot dead by police.

A French tourist, who was in New York at the time of the 9/11 terror attacks and was visiting London with her daughter, saw the arrest happen. The witness, who did not want to be named, said: "I was here half an hour ago. We just saw the man arrested and that's all. "He was very calm. I think they got him on the ground, then they stood him up against the wall. "There were lots of police officers. The road was blocked. "We didn't stay here, we just moved because I was a bit afraid because of my daughter. "We saw the helicopter was here so we came back to see what was going on. "I was in New York on September 11, so I am a bit scared of these things and being in the wrong place at the wrong moment."
A 27-year-old man carrying several knives in a backpack is arrested at Parliament Square, London, near the site of last month's Westminster attack.