Man detained after Westminster incident was known to UK spy agency

A British police officer secures a cordon outside an entry to Westminster underground station on Whitehall near the Houses of Parliament in central London. (AFP)

LONDON: The London man detained by armed police in Westminster was known to counter-terrorism officers and Britain’s domestic intelligence agency MI5 before his arrest, a Western security source told Reuters.
The 27-year-old man was detained by counter-terrorism officers on Parliament Street, a stone’s throw from the UK parliament building and May’s Downing Street office, during a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation, London police said.