The US Embassy in London was put into lockdown as police carried out a controlled explosion on a “hoax device”.
The embassy posted a statement on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday morning saying authorities were investigating a suspicious package outside the complex in Nine Elms.
A cordon was put in place sealing off the building.
The Met Police confirmed it had carried out the explosion after a loud bang was heard in the area.
It later said in a statement on X shortly before 1pm: “Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down.”
The embassy said it has returned to normal operations.
"The US Embassy is back to normal business operations, except all public appointments... for 22 November have been cancelled," the embassy said on X. "Local authorities investigated and cleared a suspicious package outside the embassy."
One witness described how armed police and firefighters were seen at the scene, and a cordon was widened to push pedestrians further back as the incident unfolded
Tempo of activity still increasing as MPS official X account confirm it was a controlled explosion. pic.twitter.com/AzmfmR6m2G
— Craig 🇬🇧 (@UKCraigP) November 22, 2024
“Local authorities are investigating a suspicious package outside the U.S. Embassy in London. Met Police are present and have closed Ponton Road out of an abundance of caution.
“We will provide further updates when available,” the embassy said earlier.
The Met said: “We can confirm that the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers. Enquiries are still ongoing and cordons will remain in place for the time being.”
Earlier the force posted on X: “We’re aware of speculation online about an incident in the vicinity of the US Embassy in Nine Elms.
“Cordons are in place in the area as a precaution while officers investigate a suspect package.”
It came the same morning as a suspicious item was found in luggage at Gatwick Airport, leading the airport to evacuate its South Terminal as a precaution. A bomb squad was called to the terminal on Friday morning to dispose of the item.
The timing caused speculation on social media as to whether it was connected to the US embassy incident, but the Met police advised the two incidents were not being treated as linked.
The US Embassy incident comes days after the US Embassy in Kyiv announced it was shutting on Wednesday after receiving “specific information of a potential significant air attack” and told its citizens in Ukraine to be ready to swiftly seek shelter. It is not clear if the two incidents are linked at all.
