Armed police swoop on minicab outside Somerset House and 'find revolver in footwell'

A cab driver was arrested after police reportedly discovered an antique revolver in the footwell of his Toyota Prius after a dramatic operation in central London.

Armed officers brought the red hatchback to a stop outside Somerset House in the Strand at 8.45pm yesterday.

The driver was handcuffed and led away by police holding assault rifles after an antique firearm was allegedly discovered stashed under the front seat, witnesses said.

Moses McHale, 27, was passing by the scene and said he feared “the worst” when he saw the police operation moments after Prime Minister Theresa May raised Britain’s terror threat status to critical.

He said: “We’re all on edge after the horrible things that happened in Manchester and it was crazy to see, the police came from nowhere.

“Once we’d been told what was happening it was reassuring that they pulled him over safely and got him cuffed.”

Joey Jiradech, 35, assistant manager of Thai Square, said his restaurant was in the middle of the police cordon for several hours.

He added: “We had lots of customers here and they were all wondering what the hell was going on. There was so many people gathering around, some looked quite scared.

“Police didn’t tell us anything about what was happening but they were letting people walk past so they had it under control. We feel safe because there was so many police here so quickly.”

A Met spokesman added: “Armed police affected a vehicle stop before arresting the man on suspicion of possession of a firearm.

"He has now been taken to a central London police station for questioning.

“The incident is not terrorist-related.”