Police charge man following incident near London's Downing Street

FILE PHOTO: A police forensic official walks outside the Horse Guards building as a police officer stands guard at the cordoned-off area on Whitehall in Westminster after the road was closed by police following an incident involving the arrest of a man near Downing Street, in London, Britain, April 18, 2022. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

British police said they had charged a 29-year-old man who was armed with a knife when he confronted two Ministry of Defence police officers near Prime Minister Boris Johnson's official residence in central London on Monday.

Prashanth Kandaiah was charged with attempted grevious bodily harm and possession of a pointed/bladed article and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court later on Tuesday, police said.

Police cordoned off Whitehall, which is home to several government departments including Johnson's Downing Street office and residence, for several hours on Monday following the incident on Horse Guards Parade.

FILE PHOTO: Police officers move a bike into a police vehicle at a cordoned-off area on Whitehall in Westminster after the road was closed by police following an incident involving the arrest of a man near Downing Street, in London, Britain, April 18, 2022. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

Police said it was not being treated as terror-related.

(Reporting by Farouq Suleiman, Editing by Kylie MacLellan)