Armed Police Arrest Man Climbing Big Ben Scaffolding

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 29: The Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben stands near t
Jack Taylor/Getty
Victoria Friedman

A man has been arrested climbing the scaffolding around Big Ben as he was allegedly attempting to enter the Houses of Parliament.

A dozen armed police entered New Palace Yard, the main entry point into the Parliamentary Estate, and arrested the man at Elizabeth Tower where the Big Ben bell is housed early Wednesday afternoon, reports The Mirror.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed a man had been arrested on suspicion of trespass.

“Police have dealt with a man climbing on the scaffolding at the palace of Westminster,” a spokesman said.

“Officers were called at 11:32am to reports of a man acting suspiciously near Carriage Gates, SW1.

“When officers located the man, he climbed over the fence and climbed the scaffolding to the roof of the palace.

“The man was arrested at 12pm for trespassing on a designated site.”

The Elizabeth Tower is covered in scaffolding for major renovative works.

Photographer John Clark told MailOnline: “I saw the police turn up.

“There were three or four police cars that turned up and there were policemen in dark blue uniforms.”

The Parliamentary Estate had been subject to security breaches in the past when, in March 2017, terrorist Khalid Masood drove a car through pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge then got out of the vehicle and commenced a stabbing attack, fatally killing police officer Keith Palmer who was attempting to stop Masood was entering the Palace of Westminster.

Four pedestrians succumbed to their wounds following the vehicular attack and Masood was shot dead by police and died at the scene.

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