The Metropolitan Police said the officer was attacked with the substance at around 8pm on Wednesday while on duty at the Palace of Westminster in Millbank, London
The Palace of Westminster (
Image: PA)
A police officer has been sprayed in the face with an unknown substance near Parliament sparking a hunt for the suspect.
The Metropolitan Police said the officer was attacked with the substance at around 8pm on Wednesday while on duty at the Palace of Westminster in Millbank.
Police are using a helicopter to search for the suspect, who ran in the direction of Victoria Tower Gardens after the incident.
The officer suffered mild irritation to his face and was assessed by London Ambulance Service, the Met said.
He did not require hospital treatment.
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Armed Police detain a man in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster this afternoon
(
Image:
Tom Bowles / Story Picture Agency)
The incident comes after a man was detained by armed police outside the Houses of Parliament this afternoon.
The individual was pinned to the ground by police and pictures from the scene show armed officers surrounding the man, who is lying flat on the grass in New Palace Yard.
In one image, police can be seen pointing their guns at the man as he lies on the ground.
One witness said he ‘climbed into Parliament’ before being Tasered by police.
The Met Police confirmed a man had been arrested on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site and said the incident was not terror-related.
A spokesman for the force said: “At around 15:00hrs today, 1 December, a man was detained and arrested at Carriage Gates inside the Palace of #Westminster on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site. The arrest is not terror related.”
Following the arrest, a man could be seen sitting down just inside the gates to Parliament, his hands behind his back apparently handcuffed, with two police officers with hands on his shoulders.
Police said the incidents this afternoon and evening are not linked.
Anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in the area this evening, or who has information about the incident, should call 101 with the reference 6588/01DEC.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-met-police-officer-sprayed-25595476
