A man was tackled to the ground in Westminster Hall on Friday evening after he rushed at Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin.
The individual lunged up the catafalque holding the coffin, however, he was quickly detained by Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Officers.
ITV’s Royal Editor Chris Ship reports that mourners ‘looked on in horror’ as the situation unfolded.
The man is in police custody after being arrested under the Public Order Act.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “At 22:00hrs on Friday 16 September officers from the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command detained a man in Westminster Hall following a disturbance.
“He was arrested for an offence under the Public Order Act and is currently in custody”.
Queen Elizabeth’s State Funeral on Monday is expected to be the largest security operation that has ever been undertaken in the United Kingdom, surpassing even the resources of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Thousands of police officers have been deployed to London from elsewhere in Great Britain.
Among the officers on duty will be divers, dog handlers, police mounted horses, motorcycle outriders, firearms officers and close protection officers.
