LONDON – Police evacuated crowds and cordoned off Trafalgar Square in central London on Saturday morning after responding to reports of a suspicious vehicle, which rocked the British capital on its third day. Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Year celebration.
Metropolitan Police said on Twitter that the problem, which was first reported at 9:22 a.m., is not related to terrorism, though they did not specify how they came to that conclusion. A Reuters photo shows a vehicle being dismantled on the back of a police van. The square was reopened at midday.
“This has been investigated and after the police took action, we have no further concerns.” the police tweeted. “This has nothing to do with terrorism.”
Trafalgar Square is at the opposite end of the Mall from Buckingham Palace, where a big concert is scheduled on Saturday night as part of the jubilee festivities.
Central London is packed with visitors from other parts of the UK and around the world for the four-day celebration of the Queen’s 70th year on the throne. Some 20,000 people have tickets to the concert in the square in front of the palace, which will feature performances by Diana Ross, Duran Duran and others, as well as speeches by Prince Charles and his eldest son you, Prince William.
