Police have arrested a man on suspicion of terror offenses after a security incident near the British Parliament in London. The man was carrying knives, police said.
The Metropolitan police said there had been no injuries in the incident. Pictures on social media showed forensics officers examining the scene and armed police surrounding a man on the ground.
Traffic was closed on Whitehall, the street that leads from Parliament Square to Downing Street, the official residence of British Prime Minister Theresa May.
May was not at 10 Downing Street during the arrest, her office told CNN.
A Scotland Yard statement said: “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.
“He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police station.”
The incident took place near the scene of a terror attack last month that left four people dead when a car rammed into a crowd, as well as a police officer, who the attacker stabbed near Parliament.
The official Transport for London Twitter account said that Whitehall was closed northbound “due to a police incident.”
The gates of the British Parliament have been closed, a House of Commons spokesman said, adding that Parliament was not in lockdown.
Developing story – more to come