A man has been arrested at the Houses of Parliament by armed police.
The suspect has been arrested at around 3pm on Wednesday on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site.
Dramatic pictures emerged from the scene on social media show the suspect being pinned to the floor and surrounded by armed police in New Palace Yard.
There was a heavy police presence at the scene as the armed officers dealt with the incident outside Houses of Parliament.
It is not being treated as a terrorist attack.
An onlooker at the scene wrote on Twitter: “Just saw someone climb into Parliament. Quickly tasered and guns immediately drawn. Impressive performance from the police.”
Just saw someone climb into Parliament.
— Elliot Keck (@ElliotKeck) December 1, 2021
Quickly tasered and guns immediately drawn.
Impressive performance from the police. pic.twitter.com/j82egmZv7y
The suspect was later seen in handcuffs was escorted to a police van.
Witnesses said he was shouting about “my rights” while police put him into the back of the van.
A Met police spokesman said: “At around 3pm on Wednesday, 1 December, a man was detained and arrested at Carriage Gates inside the Palace of Westminster on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site.
“Enquiries into the circumstances continue. This is not being treated as a terrorist incident.”
A House of Commons spokesman said: “We are aware of an incident on the Parliamentary estate which is being attended by police and security staff.”
It comes on the same day Boris Johnson faced a grilling at Prime Minister’s Questions.
