Police use stun gun on knife-wielding man outside Buckingham Palace

A cornered off area containing knives, a hat and Taser wire outside Buckingham Palace in central London after a man armed with two knives was stunned by police, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. AP PHOTO/JONATHAN BRADY/PA

LONDON—A man waving large knives outside Buckingham Palace in the presence of tourists was shocked with a Taser stun gun and arrested on Sunday, police said.

Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, were at one of their weekend retreats, in Sandringham eastern England, at the time of the incident that occurred just before 12 p.m. (1200 GMT).

“A man was seen outside the (palace’s) center gate in possession of two knives,” said a spokesman for the capital’s Metropolitan Police force.

“He was not making threats to members of the public but he was challenged by police. He acted aggressively and a Taser was discharged.

“He is thought to be in his fifties. He was arrested on suspicion of affray and has been taken to a central London police station,” the spokesman added.

A video on YouTube showed the man placing a large blade to his neck before waving it about. Moments later he fell to the ground after being shocked with the Taser gun and was quickly surrounded by police officers.

Other witnesses said the man had broken through a security cordon and was attempting to walk toward the palace guards when he was stopped by police.

About 15 officers surrounded the man once he’d been subdued, said witness Kevin Burrows, 33. “Everybody was standing back when it happened, and people were actually quite calm. I think everyone was surprised,” said Burrows.

The confrontation took place just before noon—a busy time when visitors from around the world flock to the front of the palace to watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony, which takes place every other morning during the winter.

Two knives and a pair of sneakers were left inside a cordoned off area outside the palace gates.