The UK royal family were given a stark reminder of the dangers to their safety when a man was arrested just days before the coronation of King Charles III on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon.
The drama unfolded on Tuesday evening after the man approached the gates to Buckingham Palace and threw several items into the grounds suspected to be shotgun cartridges and was allegedly found carrying a knife.
With hundreds of world leaders arriving in London, the security services are carrying out one of the biggest operations in recent years to protect the coronation route.
It will see rooftop snipers and undercover officers, as well as airport-style scanners, sniffer dogs and a no-fly zone over central London.
Alec Galloway, a member of the Scots Guards who tackled a gunman who fired six shots at Queen Elizabeth II during the 1981 Trooping the Colour, has praised the security services.
“It is very sad that this has happened during the build up to the coronation,” he said.
“But the security will be very high and they will be ready for anything, as they have been during this incident. These incidents are happening more than usual.”
The day the queen was shot at six times
Over the years there have been repeated incidents targeting the royal family.
It was during the 1981 Trooping the Colour that Mr Galloway tackled Marcus Sarjeant after he fired six shots from the crowd at the queen.
The then 37-year-old lance corporal feared the queen would be killed and launched himself at the attacker.
It led to Mr Sarjeant becoming the first person since 1966 to be prosecuted under the 1842 Treason Act and he was sentenced to five years for his “wicked” intention.
Princess Anne survived armed kidnap attempt
In 1974, Princess Anne was subjected to a kidnap attempt as she returned to the palace following a charity event.
Unemployed labourer Ian Ball had hired a van and forced her car to stop, before firing shots at her chauffeur and bodyguard.
He climbed into her car and ordered her to get out to which she replied: “Not bloody likely.”
An amateur boxer walking by came to her rescue and repeatedly punched Ball.
Police later found a ransom note for almost $4 million.
Ball, then 26, was prosecuted for attempted murder of the bodyguard and sentenced to life imprisonment in a psychiatric hospital.
Intruder sat on queen's bed
In July 1982, 31-year-old painter and decorator Michael Fagan scaled Buckingham Palace's four-metre walls, entered the palace and made his way to the queen’s bedroom where she was sleeping.
She woke and alerted her security staff.
It was one of the biggest royal security breaches of the 20th century.
Mr Fagan's actions were, at the time, a civil wrong rather than a criminal offence, so he was not charged with trespassing.
Eggs thrown at King Charles
Last year a man threw five eggs at King Charles during a visit to York.
Patrick Thelwell, 23, hurled the eggs towards the king and Queen Consort Camilla last November, but luckily all five missed.
He was found guilty of a public order offence after he admitted throwing the eggs, but claimed it was “lawful violence”.
Convicted murderer Denis Hennessy scaled the palace wall
In 2016, convicted murderer Denis Hennessy scaled the perimeter wall and got within metres of the queen.
After 10 minutes of walking around, he was apprehended by officers.
He told them he was admiring the view and asked: “Is ma’am in?”
Hennessy had a previous conviction for murdering a homeless man with an iron bar.
Terrorist armed with sword went to the palace
In 2016, Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 28, from Luton, was found outside the palace with a sword.
He was cleared of attacking police officers with the weapon but was later convicted of plotting terror attacks.
The jury in the palace incident believed his claims that he had not intended to harm anyone and that he simply wanted to commit suicide, to be shot dead by armed police.
More coverage from the Future Forum
Avatar%3A%20The%20Way%20of%20Water
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJames%20Cameron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Worthington%2C%20Zoe%20Saldana%2C%20Sigourney%20Weaver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More on animal trafficking
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Scoreline
Bournemouth 2
Wilson 70', Ibe 74'
Arsenal 1
Bellerin 52'
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
((Disclaimer))
The Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG (“Bank”) assumes no liability or guarantee for the accuracy, balance, or completeness of the information in this publication. The content may change at any time due to given circumstances, and the Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG is under no obligation to update information once it has been published. This publication is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer, a recommendation or an invitation by, or on behalf of, Liechtensteinische Landesbank (DIFC Branch), Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG, or any of its group affiliates to make any investments or obtain services. This publication has not been reviewed, disapproved or approved by the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) Central Bank, Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”) or any other relevant licensing authorities in the UAE. It may not be relied upon by or distributed to retail clients. Liechtensteinische Landesbank (DIFC Branch) is regulated by the DFSA and this advertorial is intended for Professional Clients (as defined by the DFSA) who have sufficient financial experience and understanding of financial markets, products or transactions and any associated risks.
Attacks on Egypt’s long rooted Copts
Egypt’s Copts belong to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans.
The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypt’s 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo.
Egypt’s Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes.
More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016.
The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States.
Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years:
November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.
May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks.
February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month.
December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility.
July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud.
May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob.
New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people.
