The morning after the bomb alarm at Buckingham Palace, fear of an attack is raging in London and among the royals.
Only three days left until the coronation of King Charles III. – and British security forces are on high alert. On Tuesday evening, a man was handling shotgun shells in front of a gate to the palace and throwing them on the ground. A suspicious bag nearby was blown up in a controlled manner by experts from a bomb-clearance squad, and the man was quickly overwhelmed.
It is not yet clear whether it really contained explosives. The palace has been sealed off and placed in lockdown. Members of the royal family were not at the palace when the bomb alarm sounded. The identity of the man and his motive are still unclear.
► However, British media published disturbing details about the suspect on Wednesday. Opposite the newspaperThe SunAn eyewitness reported that the man had been sneaking around the palace in the evenings for the past few days and shouted: “I’m going to kill the king!”
The police said in the evening that the incident would not be treated as terrorism; the suspect – believed to be in his 30s – is believed to have a mental illness. The pictures show that he was dressed relatively inconspicuously at the time of his crime: he is wearing dark trousers, a checked shirt and a dark vest.
Despite the alarm and the acute threat situation yesterday evening: It has been shown that “Operation Golden Orb” (roughly “Operation golden orb”) works! This is the code word for the coronation of Charles III. (74), This not only hides all the processes planned almost to the second. But above all the safety precautions to protect the king, his family and the celebrity guests.
Full commitment: Thousands of police officers are and will be on duty. The exact number is secret. At the Queen’s funeral, however, more than 5,000 officials are said to have been in London – with 2,000 guests this time. Armed task forces, the Specialist Crime & Operations (SCO19), are positioned along the procession route. On the roofs: snipers! In the crowd: plainclothes police officers. Plus drones and helicopters.
So London becomes a fortress for the coronation
► The streets around the palace have been closed to cars for days, only pedestrians and cyclists are allowed to pass.
► Important tool for the authorities: the estimated one million cameras in London. Super Recognizer cops try to spot suspects.
Ken Wharfe, ex-Scotland Yard policeman and bodyguard of Princess Diana († 36): “The coronation of Charles has been prepared for several years so that everything can be done safely. Everything was rehearsed and played through several times so that there were no surprises.”
