Man arrested after being handcuffed to Buckingham Palace gates for nearly EIGHT hours

A man who handcuffed himself to the gates of Buckingham Palace has been arrested and taken to hospital. Officers descended on the palace at 5.23pm yesterday (July 6) after the man, believed to be in his 30s, attached himself to the gates and threatened to harm himself.

The Metropolitan Police cordoned off the area while speaking to the man for several hours. By 9pm, the force said he had sustained a number of self-inflicted slash injuries.

Police continued discussions with the man throughout the evening and well into the night. Officers finally brought the situation to an end at around 1am this morning, almost eight hours on from the moment the man handcuffed himself to the palace gates.

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The man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. He was taken to a south London hospital to be assessed before being taken into custody, The Met says.

A large police presence was in attendance when the incident first broke out and a cordon was in place outside Buckingham Palace. Members of the public, including tourists, were urged to clear the area while police spoke to the man at the gates.

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