Knife-wielding man arrested outside Parliament as police swoop in
A man, 34, has been arrested after police received reports of an individual carrying knives outside the Houses of Parliament.
Police vehicles were parked in front of Carriage Gates after the incident took place on Tuesday afternoon.
A man – wearing a red hooded top – was seen to have been handcuffed as he was surrounded by police.
The Metropolitan Police said: “Police were called at 14:01hrs on Tuesday 12 November to reports of a man in possession of knives outside Parliament, SW1.
“Officers attended and a 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
“He will be taken to a police station.
The Met Police have further confirmed that no injuries have been reported.
Responding to the incident, a UK Parliament spokesperson said: “We are aware of an incident outside Carriage Gates.
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“Parliamentary Security and the Metropolitan Police are present and managing the situation.”
Carriage Gates serves as the main entrance into the Houses of Parliament for MPs, peers, as well as their parliamentary staffers.
Security surrounding the parliamentary estate has dramatically increased since the Westminster terrorist attack in 2017 when a policeman – PC Keith Palmer – was murdered.
Data from the Institute for Government demonstrate “a clearly increased volume” of incidents which affect MPs between 2017 and 2018, rising from 151 reported crimes to 342 the following year.
