Crime
Scores of British police officers descend on man armed with knives
Metropolitan police in London on Thursday foiled an attempt by a young man in his twenties to launch an attack on British House of Parliament.
The unnamed man was arrested carrying several knives on him. Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism command unit detained the suspect in South London police station.
It was gathered that the arrest was occasioned as a result of an “ongoing operation.”
It was learnt that forensics officers examined the place of arrest outside the Westminster train station and collected the suspect’s backpack and two knives.
Although no one was said to have been attacked before his arrest, the place at Westminister was flooded with armed security personnel.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attempted terrorist attack. It was gathered that armed police had blocked off Whitehall, a street said to be lined with government buildings and the man was on the ground surrounded by police.
The man cladded in black was clatter led into police vehicle.
As at the time of the arrest, British Prime Minister, May was not at 10 Downing Street.
A statement by Metropolitan police said one man had been “arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.”
It further added that there was “no immediate known threat” after the individual’s arrest.
However, a Nigerian-London based security expert, Temiptope Olodo while commenting on the foiled terrorist attack praised the London police for their brilliance at stopping another attack to cause terror in London.
“It is clear that the individual was stopped for a search. The security men were able to stop somebody from carrying out deadly attack.
“It was a brilliant and proactive move by the security men. The terrorists would go to any length to create terror in the minds of everybody,” Olodo reiterated.
National Daily recalls that security has been increased around Parliament after an attacker drove an SUV into pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge on March 22, killing four, before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament.
The attacker, Khalid Masood, 52, a British-born Muslim convert with convictions for violent extremism was later shot dead by police.
It was also noted that Thursday is Parliament’s last sitting day before Britain’s June 8 election.
The police, however, revealed that there has been a surge in knife crimes in London in the past year.