Squatters evicted over Buckingham Palace 'security risk'

Squatters who were branded a possible risk to the Queen's security have been evicted in a "stealth mode" operation.

The group were living in a seven-storey building just metres away from Buckingham Palace.

The property's occupiers, who claim to be part of the Autonomous Nation of Anarchist Libertarians, were removed at around 4am on Saturday after the building's owners filed a submission to the High Court.

Daniel, one of the group of 30 campaigners, said: "It was pretty unprecedented. To just wake up and you are surrounded by bailiffs, they came in in stealth mode.

"I opened my eyes to bailiffs on the staircase."

Owned by Bahraini Abdulrahman Aljasmi, the building has stood derelict for decades, the group claims, leading them to re-purpose it as an embassy for "indigenous people" and "nations that are not recognised".

Court documents shown to the Press Association by the squatters cited a Metropolitan Police royal specialist protection officer who flagged a "potential security risk" posed by the group.

Concerns were raised that if the squatters accessed the adjoining roof they could directly peer into the gardens of the royal grounds.

Snipers stationed on the roof of Wellington Barracks were in "regular contact" with a next-door owner to raise concerns about the view into the palace gardens from the roof, the document said.

Security considerations were further fuelled by a post on the group's social media feed, which said they had decided to relocate "as close to the Queen's bedroom as possible", it added.

One organiser later claimed the message was just a joke.

Warning signs pinned to the door of the once-lavish property, which neighbours the Swaziland High Commission, say the premises is now being being looked after by County Enforcement Group.

The building was the third high-profile property in central London to have been occupied by the squatters.

They were evicted from a multimillion-pound property in Eaton Square last month, before immediately moving into a nearby seven-storey building on Grosvenor Gardens.