Armed police were scrambled to Ealing and a street evacuated after a man “believed to be in possession of knives” was seen with what was feared was a grenade.
Police were called at 9.50am to Venetia Road when the alarm was raised amid concern for the welfare of a man.
Specialist officers and negotiators were sent to the scene to engage with the man in his 60s inside a residential property who it was believed had knives.
The man was seen to be in possession of an object claimed to be a grenade. The device was not viable but as a precaution Venetia Road was evacuated.
#breakingnews armed police in South Ealing Venetia road. Reports of man with explosives, negotiator has just gone in. All of us residents have been evacuated in the local vicinity pic.twitter.com/qk2FFjcDmr
— • J A C K • (@jcsinclair_) January 13, 2026
The London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade were also in attendance.
At around 3.30pm on Tuesday, 13 January, the man was detained safely and arrested on suspicion of affray, the Metropolitan Police said.
He has been taken to hospital for a mental health assessment.
The incident is not being treated as terror-related and it is understood no-one was injured.
