The incident comes hours after a suspected package was found near the US embassy in London. London’s Gatwick Airport evacuated part of its South Terminal on Friday as authorities dispatched an explosive ordnance disposal team.
Local police said that a suspected prohibited item was discovered in the luggage, reported Reuters. The terminal at the airport has been evacuated and a security cordon is in place “A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident,” the airport said in a post on X.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. Safety and security of our passengers and staff remains our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible,” it added.
‘Loud bang’ heard at US Embassy
The development comes hours after a loud bang was heard near the US Embassy in central London. The British Police said that it carried out a controlled explosion near the U.S. embassy in south London after discovering a suspect package.
“We can confirm that the ‘loud bang’ reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” London’s Metropolitan Police said on X. “Enquiries are still ongoing and cordons will remain in place for the time being.”
The suspected package was found in an area close to the south bank of the River Thames. Numerous civilians were escorted from the building. They were initially locked inside for over half an hour by the automatic doors. The US had said on X that police had closed a road near the building out of “an abundance of caution”.
Pictures and videos posted online a heavy presence of police and fire services hustling to control the situation after the morning “security alert.” The U.S. moved its embassy from Mayfair, central London, to a 12-storey purpose-built glass cube in London’s Nine Elms in 2018, partly for safety reasons.
