Man charged with terror offence for trying to break into Israeli Embassy in London with a weapon

In this file photo, an Israel flag hangs in front of the Israeli Embassy as a reaction to the death of former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, in London, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

LONDON — London’s police force charged a man Wednesday with a terror offense after he was detained trying to enter the grounds of the Israeli Embassy while in possession of what appears to have been a knife of some sort.

Abdullah Sabah Albadri, 33, has been charged with preparing “terrorist acts” and of two counts of possession of a pointed or bladed article, London’s Metropolitan Police force said in a statement.

The incident took place on Monday shortly before 6 p.m. when officers from the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command became aware of a man attempting to gain unauthorized access to the embassy’s grounds in Kensington in west London, police said.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Counter Terrorism Command, said that inquiries so far indicated that no one else was involved and that there was no wider threat to the public.

“Although the man has now been charged, we continue with our investigation and would urge the public not to speculate further at this time,” he added.

Albadri is due to appear in court later Wednesday.

The Associated Press