A man who was apprehended by police outside Buckingham Palace last night (25 August) was armed with a 4ft sword, Scotland Yard confirmed.

The 26-year-old from Luton repeatedly shouted 'Allahu Akbar' after 'deliberately' ramming his Toyota Prius into a marked police car in Constitution Hill, close to the royal residence at around 8.30pm on Friday. (25 August)

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The suspect reached for the weapon in the passenger footwell. Three police officers were injured as they struggled to restrain him. He was finally subdued using CS gas and arrested Sky News reports.

Scotland Yard confirmed the attacker has been detained at a central London police station on suspicion of assault and grievous bodily harm under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Commander Dean Haydon, of the Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism branch, praised the officers who were 'deliberately' targeted in the attack for "quickly bringing the incident under control".

In a tweet on Saturday, Prime Minister Theresa May also praised officers for their courage writing: "I want to thank the officers who acted quickly and bravely to protect the public last night... demonstrating the dedication and professionalism of our police."

No members of the Royal Family were in residence at the time of the attack, with the Queen currently on her annual Scottish holiday in Balmoral.

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