BREAKING: Man arrested after car crashes into Downing Street gates

A cordon has been established in Whitehall after a car crashed into a set of gates on Downing Street in London this afternoon, Thursday, May 25.

Initial reports from the BBC said that a man was arrested at around 4:20 pm by armed police officers after a silver-coloured hatchback vehicle managed to bypass the first barriers that block the road leading to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s residence at No10.

There are no reports of casualties but the area is said to be locked down as per protocol.

A tweet from the City of Westminster Police read: “At around 16:20hrs a car collided with the gates of Downing Street on Whitehall. Armed officers arrested a man at the scene on suspicion of criminal damage and dangerous driving. There are no reports of any injuries. Enquiries are ongoing”.

#UPDATE | At around 16:20hrs a car collided with the gates of Downing Street on Whitehall.

Armed officers arrested a man at the scene on suspicion of criminal damage and dangerous driving.

There are no reports of any injuries.

Enquiries are ongoing.

— Westminster Police | Central West BCU (@MPSWestminster) May 25, 2023

Video footage of the incident was screened by the BBC. It showed the car in question moving at a very slow speed before finally crashing into the set of black iron gates.

It has not yet been clarified whether it was an accident or an attempted attack of some sort.