In a few days the time has come: Charles III. will be officially crowned king on Saturday as part of the greatest festivities. Shortly before, an incident at Buckingham Palace caused a fright. An armed man had approached the palace grounds and dropped a sack containing initially unidentified items. He is said to have previously threatened the death of the king.
This is reported by eyewitnesses to the “Sun”. The suspect is said to have been hanging around the palace area more often in recent days, a man told the newspaper. “He was in his thirties,” reports the witness. “He kept yelling the last few nights, ‘I’m going to kill the king.'”
The palace guards reacted quickly when he actually approached the premises and threw “several objects” on the palace grounds. “They shouted that he should lie down on the ground,” said the witness. Police officers would have grabbed him almost immediately. Videos show how he was taken away. “The man was arrested for possession of an assault weapon,” a police spokesman told multiple media outlets.
This weapon is said to be a knife that the suspect was carrying, the police confirmed to the Guardian. His backpack was destroyed in a controlled blast as a “suspicious item,” a police spokesman said. According to information from the “Sun”, which shows a photo of the contents on its website, it only contained everyday items such as books, a laptop and two passports.
According to the authorities, despite the alleged threats against the king’s life, the incident is not considered a suspicion of terrorism, a police spokesman confirmed to the “Guardian”. According to the current assessment of the situation, it is a lone perpetrator with mental problems.
Because of the upcoming coronation, the security situation in London is already tense. Thousands of police officers are securing the city, and additional security forces have also been drafted in from other British communities. In addition to the uniformed emergency services, civilian officers and snipers on the roofs will also protect the security of the royal family at the weekend.
The fact that the current incident is reported in such detail is also due to the numerous witnesses. Many royals started camping across from the palace grounds days ago to secure good seats for the coronation. Videos of the incident made the rounds accordingly quickly. However, the king himself will only be informed about the incident by third parties: Charles and Camilla were not in the palace at the time of the incident.
Quellen:The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Sun
