London — Police in London carried out a controlled explosion Friday after finding a suspicious package near the U.S. Embassy in the British capital. They blocked off at least one road near the embassy compound, which sits on the south side of the Thames river in the Nine Elms neighborhood.
“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 in a statement posted online.
The embassy said in its own social media post that police had closed a road near the building out of “an abundance of caution.”
People wait in line outside the U.S. Embassy in London, in a Nov. 6, 2024 file photo. / Credit: Mina Kim/REUTERS
The U.S. Embassy in London opened in its new location just outside the center of the city at the beginning of 2018. It sits on a sprawling campus relatively far from most public roads and is surrounded by security fortifications.
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Former U.K. counterterrorism coordinator Nick Aldworth told CBS News on Friday that the U.S. embassy building is “one of the most secure locations in London.”
An aerial view shows the U.S. Embassy in London, with emergency vehicles seen blocking off roads around the building as the Metropolitan Police investigated a suspicious package found in the area, Nov. 22, 2024. / Credit: AP Television
“It’s a purpose-built embassy,” he said, which gave the compound “the benefit of being constructed with built-in environmental protective measures” such as earth berms and other physical features, putting it “at the top end of design and location for protecting it from terrorism incidents.”
Not long after the alert was raised at the embassy, a similar situation played out at Gatwick Airport, just south of London, with a suspected prohibited item found in someone’s luggage prompting the closure of one terminal.
“The South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident,” the Gatwick press office told CBS News. “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 to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
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The Sussex Police said in a statement that an explosives ordnance team was deployed to investigate the item, “as a precaution.”
“This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed,” the police said. “We are advising the public to avoid the area where possible.”
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