Man carrying knives arrested following incident outside Houses of Parliament

A man has been arrested after he was allegedly carrying knives outside the Houses of Parliament.

Police were called at about 2pm today after reports of a man in possession of knives outside Parliament in central London.

Officers attended and a 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

Footage shows a man dressed in a red hooded top, camouflage cap and green trousers surrounded by armed officers.

The 34-year-old man was apprehended right outside the Houses of Parliament (Picture: PA)

He was seen handcuffed by the main entrance adjacent to Parliament Square in an area teeming with tourists.

The area was cordoned off during the incident and the entrance was closed off. 

Metropolitan Police said he will be taken to a police station.

No one was reportedly injured, the force confirmed.

A UK Parliament spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of an incident outside Carriage Gates.

The man was carrying knives outside the Parliament (Picture: Nicholas Lester/PA Wire)

‘Parliamentary Security and the Metropolitan Police are present and managing the situation. For further information please contact the Metropolitan Police.’

Metro’s political reporter Craig Munro was in Parliament when the incident unfolded.

He said police stopped people from leaving the Parliamentary estate through Carriage Gate and the suspect was bundled into a police van.

Here is the Met Police statement in full: ‘Police were called at 14:01hrs today 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. No injuries have been reported.’

Emma Davis