A man has been charged with a terrorism offense in London after he attempted to enter the Israeli Embassy armed with a knife, the police said on Wednesday.
The Metropolitan Police, which is responsible for law enforcement in London, said Abdullah Sabah Albadri, 33, was arrested after being seen “attempting to gain unauthorized access” to the grounds of the embassy shortly before 6 p.m. local time on Monday.
“Officers prevented the man from entering and arrested him on suspicion of a public order offense, trespassing on a designated site and possession of an offensive weapon,” the police force said in a statement.
“He was taken to a London police station and after further enquiries were carried out he was further arrested on suspicion of an offense contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.”
The charge is used against people accused of preparing or attempting terror attacks.
Mr. Albadri, of no fixed address, has also been charged with two counts of possession of a bladed article, the statement added. It said Mr. Albadri was being held in custody ahead of a court hearing scheduled for later on Wednesday.
Dominic Murphy, the head of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, said that the police were not seeking anyone else in connection with the incident and that they did not believe there was “any wider threat to the public.”
The Israeli Embassy, in the Kensington neighborhood, has tight security measures.
In a statement, the Embassy thanked the police for preventing what it described as an “attempted terror attack.”
“We are relieved to report that this attack was prevented by the British security forces and that no injuries occurred and all embassy staff and visitors are safe,” the statement added.