Man arrested after attacking police outside Buckingham Palace

Social media users report assailant was armed with sword; two cops treated at scene but do not require hospitalization

By AFP 26 August 2017, 12:15 am

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Buckingham Palace, the Queen's official residence in London, where she will celebrate her Diamond Jubilee. (photo credit: CC BY/jimmyharris/Flickr)

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — A man was arrested on Friday after attacking police with a knife outside Queen Elizabeth II’s Buckingham Palace residency in London, police said.

“The man was stopped…at approximately 20:35 hours (1935 GMT) by officers at the Mall outside Buckingham Palace in possession of knife. Two male police officers suffered minor injuries to their arm,” said a Metropolitan Police statement.

The two men were treated at the scene and did not require hospital treatment, according to police, who did not say whether they were treating the attack as terrorism.

However, social media users reported that the attacker was armed with a sword, and posted videos of a fleet of police cars outside the palace, with the surrounding roads sealed off.

Twitter user Amir Jan Malik wrote: “Stuck outside Buckingham palace with many armed police officers. Heavy rifles on display traffic at a halt.”