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Man arrested after incident in Whitehall, central London. Armed police seal off Parliament Square

British police said on Thursday a man had been arrested after armed officers were seen on Whitehall, the street home to numerous government ministries in central London, with a BBC reporter saying two knives had been seen. The police confirmed the man was arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences.

“A man has been arrested in Whitehall this afternoon, at approximately 14:22, following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

“The man, aged in his late twenties, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. Knives have been recovered from him.”

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Police said no one had been injured in the incident close to Prime Minister Theresa May‘s official Downing Street residence in Westminster but gave no further details. May was not at Downing Street at the time of the incident, a spokesman said.

The man, aged in his late 20s, was arrested by armed officers on Parliament Street, a stone’s throw from the UK parliament building and Prime Minister Theresa May’s official Downing Street residence.

BA BBC Home Affairs correspondent said on Twitter that two knives had been seen on the ground including a large “breadknife” and added a photograph of an officer wearing a blue forensic suit photographing what appeared to be a knife on the sidewalk next to a rucksack.

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A Reuters reporter inside parliament could see armed police and police in forensic suits on Whitehall.

No injuries were reported, the Met Police also added.

Armed officers sealed off the area. A Reuters reporter and photographer saw police holding a dark-skinned, bearded man dressed in a hooded, black coat. His right hand appeared to have a bandage wrapped around it.

Police said the man was being held at a south London police station.

“Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat,” the police statement said.

The incident comes just over a month after a British-born convert to Islam ploughed a car into pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge killing four people before stabbing to death a police officer in the grounds of parliament.

Reuters

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