March 29, 2024
Police detonated a controlled explosion Saturday in London’s Trafalgar Square after police said a suspicious vehicle was seen there. Tourists who had thronged the spot during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee...

Police detonated a controlled explosion Saturday in London’s Trafalgar Square after police said a suspicious vehicle was seen there.

Tourists who had thronged the spot during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee weekend were evacuated, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.

“Officers are currently at Trafalgar Square, where they have evacuated the scene,” police said in a statement to Fox News.

A hotel near the square was evacuated as well. Other nearby buildings were closed until the incident was over.

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Police later reported that the incident was not terrorism-related.

“We were in the Trafalgar Square area and realized something was going on,” witness Catherine Strina told MailOnline. “Police told us all we couldn’t go any further, we then heard an explosion so just ran — scary times.”

“It was very frightening, we all just ran to Charing Cross station and waited outside. It was a very loud bang, hopefully it was something under control,” she said.

Journalist Jon Hansen tweeted that the cause for concern was a vehicle in the square.

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The incident, first reported at 9:22 a.m., ended when the vehicle was loaded onto a flatbed truck and removed from the area, according to The New York Times.

Saturday’s main events as part of the Jubilee included the Derby at Epsom Downs and an outdoor concert Saturday night in London.

The queen did not attend the derby, with Princess Anne, the queen’s only daughter, taking her place for the event, according to Fox News.

Mobility issues plaguing the 96-year-old monarch were cited for her absence. The jubilee marked 70 years since Elizabeth became Britain’s queen.