Man charged with ‘carrying axe’ near Buckingham Palace

Police were called to The Mall at about 6.30pm on Tuesday

(EPA file photo)

A man has been charged after allegedly carrying an axe near to Buckingham Palace.

Members of the public alerted private security guards working on The Mall to a man apparently carrying an axe at about 6.30pm on Tuesday.

The guards stopped and detained the man, who was then arrested by armed Metropolitan Police officers on patrol nearby.

Vladyslav Dryhval, 46, of Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, east London, was charged in the early hours of Thursday with two counts of possessing an offensive weapon and one of having a bladed article.

He was remanded in custody and was due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later on Thursday.

Images posted on social media after the incident appeared to show several police officers surrounding a man near the Institute of Contemporary Arts building.

The Met previously said there had been no reports of injuries, and that they were not treating the incident as terrorism-related.

Additional reporting by Press Association