Second man arrested over Buckingham Palace sword attack

A second suspect has been arrested in connection with a sword attack outside Buckingham Palace

The 30-year-old male has been arrested at an address in west London on suspicion of being involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism, Scotland Yard said. 

It comes after a man deliberately driven at a police van parked near the Mall roundabout in front of the palace, before stopping in front of the vehicle.

As three unarmed PCs exited the van and approached the blue Toyota Prius, the suspect reached for a 4ft sword in the footwell.

Following a struggle, the suspect and two officers were taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries, while the third officer did not require treatment. 

Commander Dean Haydon, the head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: ‘I would like to pay tribute to the bravery and professionalism of these officers who quickly brought this incident under control.

‘Their vigilance, courage and the swiftness of their response demonstrates how our officers are protecting the public at this time.

‘Officers from the Counter Terrorism Command are now investigating and searches are being carried out in the Luton area today.

‘We believe the man was acting alone and we are not looking for other suspects at this stage.

‘While we cannot speculate on what the man was intending to do – this will be determined during the course of the investigation – it is only right that we investigate this as a terrorist incident at this time.

‘I would urge anybody who witnessed the incident or has any information or images that may assist the investigation to contact the confidential hotline on 0800 789 321.’

Commander Haydon added: ‘This is a timely reminder that the threat from terrorism in the UK remains severe. 

‘The police, together with the security services, are doing everything we can to protect the public and we already have an enhanced policing plan over the Bank Holiday weekend to keep the public safe.’