Counter terrorism police have launched an investigation after reports of drones carrying ‘dangerous substances’ targeted the Israeli Embassy in London last night.
London’s Metropolitan Police said they have blocked off public access to Kensington Gardens, which is the park next to the Prince and Princess of Wales’ London base of Kensington Palace, in west London, after several ‘discarded items’ were found in the park.
They added that some officers who have been deployed are wearing protective clothing, and while they do not believe there to be any increased public safety risk at this stage, they are urging people to avoid the area.
In a statement they said: ‘There is an increased police presence in Kensington Gardens and officers are assessing a number of discarded items.
‘As a precaution, some of the officers who have been deployed are wearing protective clothing.
‘We recognise this may concern local residents and the wider public.
‘We do not believe there to be any increased public safety risk at this stage, but we would urge people to avoid the area while officers carry out their work.
‘There are cordons in place and there is no public access to the gardens and the surrounding area.
‘Counter Terrorism Policing London are aware of a video shared online overnight in which a group claim to have targeted the nearby Embassy of Israel with drones carrying dangerous substances.
‘While we can confirm that the Embassy has not been attacked, we are carrying out urgent enquiries to determine the authenticity of the video and to identify any potential link between it and the items discarded in Kensington Gardens.
‘We will provide further updates when we are able to.’
This is a breaking news story and is being updated.
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