LONDON: A man was arrested after he approached the gates of Buckingham Palace and threw a number of items, suspected to be shotgun cartridges, into the Palace grounds on Tuesday evening, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

According to Metropolitan Police, the man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon after a knife was recovered from him.

The police said that he was not in possession of a firearm.

The suspected items have been recovered and will be taken for specialist examination.

Cordons were in place after the man was found with a suspicious bag. Specialists attended, and after assessment, police carried out a "controlled explosion" as a precaution.

"Officers worked immediately to detain the man and he has been taken into police custody. There have been no reports of any shots fired, or any injuries to officers or members of the public," Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald, said in a statement.

"Officers remain at the scene and further enquiries are ongoing. At this time we are not treating the matter as terror-related," he said.

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