Buckingham Palace suspect 'was armed with 4ft sword'

A man tackled by police near Buckingham Palace was armed with a 4ft sword and repeatedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" - God is greatest - during the struggle, Scotland Yard has said.

The force has revealed the suspect drove a blue Toyota Prius "deliberately" at a marked patrol car before being confronted by officers.

He then reached for the weapon in the passenger footwell, police said.

CS gas was used during the arrest, in which three officers were injured.

The 26-year-old from Luton is being held at a central London police station and a terror investigation is under way.

Initially detained on suspicion of assault and grievous bodily harm, he was subsequently arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000.

The incident happened in Constitution Hill, in a restricted area close to the Royal residence, shortly after 8.30pm on Friday.

Commander Dean Haydon, of the Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism branch, said the suspect "deliberately drove at a marked police vehicle and stopped in front of it".

He added: "Uniformed officers then confronted the driver of the vehicle and during that confrontation the driver reached for a 4ft sword that was in the passenger footwell.

"CS gas was used as part of the arrest and during the struggle the individual repeatedly shouted the words Allahu Akbar."

Mr Haydon praised the bravery and courage of the injured officers in "quickly bringing the incident under control".

He said he was confident that it was an "isolated incident" on what is due to be a busy bank holiday weekend, with events being held across the capital, including the Notting Hill Carnival.

Several witnesses told Sky News they saw a man being "wrestled to the ground", and one German tourist described hearing a "rumble" followed by screaming.

Kiana Williamson told the Press Association: "We turned up and there was one police van and one car, there was also a civilian's car that had veered towards the police car.

"They were trying to get the man out of the car, shouting, more police were arriving on to the scene and the man was fighting back."

In a tweet on Saturday, Prime Minister Theresa May praised officers who helped at the scene, saying: "I want to thank the officers who acted quickly and bravely to protect the public last night... demonstrating the dedication and professionalism of our police."

No members of the Royal Family were in residence at the time of the attack, with the Queen currently on her annual Scottish holiday in Balmoral.