Trigger Warning: Violence, weapons, distress.

The Metropolitan police have arrested a man after reports were made of a person carrying knives outside of one of the most famous entrances to the Houses of Parliament.

The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon (12/11/2024), police cars were seen parked in front of Carriage Gates, where many peers, MPs, and their staffers enter the Palace of Westminster.

The police were called to the scene at 2.01 pm, where they arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. The man, seen in the photo below, was arrested outside Parliament and can be seen wearing a red hoodie and surrounded by police.

Luckily, no injuries were reported after the incident.

In a statement, the Metropolitan police said: “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.”

A spokesperson for Parliament has also said: ‘We are aware of an incident outside Carriage Gates. Parliamentary security and the Metropolitan Police are present and managing the situation.’

After two fatal attacks on MPs in recent years, Jo Cox and David Amess, and the 2017 terrorist attack on Parliament, security around the Palace of Westminster has been increased massively in response. This is also in response to an increase in the assessed threat to lawmakers, with MPs regularly receiving violent threats via social media.