This is the moment a man was arrested after he was allegedly seen ‘throwing shotgun cartridges’ into the grounds of Buckingham Palace.

Officers arrested him at around 7pm last night after he approached the gates of the palace in central London as Coronation rehearsals took place.

Witnesses said the man was seen throwing a ‘number of items’ in the grounds before he was arrested.

Video footage from 7News shows how the handcuffed suspect hung his head as officers took him into custody.

The man could be seen in handcuffs outside of the palace at around 7pm last night (Picture: 7News)

Police later carried out a controlled explosion on a suspicious bag as a precaution that could be heard on an interview on GB News.

A witness told The Sun that the suspect had stationed himself outside the palace over the ‘last few nights’ and was heard shouting: ‘I’m going to kill the King.’

Police say they are not currently treating the incident as terror-related. It is understood it is being treated as an isolated mental health incident.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the King and Queen were not in residence when the incident occurred. But a Royal spokesperson would not answer whether any other relatives or family members were there when it unfolded.

Met Police chief superintendent Joseph McDonald said officers ‘worked immediately to detain the man’ – who is currently in custody.

Police could be seen looking at suspicious items outside of the palace (Picture: Getty)

Officers were called after the incident at around 7pm last night(Picture: Getty)

Patrols carried on throughout the night (Picture: Getty)

He was seen throwing shotgun cartridges into the grounds of the palace (Picture: UK News in Pictures)

A witness alleged that officers ‘jumped’ on the man ‘as soon as he placed the bag on the ground’.

‘They were shouting at him “get down on the floor,”‘ the witness told The Sun, adding that it was ‘astonishing’ that the man was even able to get that close to the Palace with the Coronation just days away.

He was held on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon after he was searched and a knife was found, but he was not carrying a gun.

Cordons were put in place after he was found with a ‘suspicious bag’ but have since been removed, the force added.

The bag held two passports, a phone, wallet, keys, bank cards, laptop case, picture of a child, and a large brown letter, according to The Sun. There was also a copy of the book The Happiness Advantage by Harvard lecturer Shawn Achor.

He was arrested after carrying a knife (Picture: REUTERS)

The items thrown into the palace grounds ‘have been recovered and will be taken for specialist examination’, the Met said.

There were no reports of any shots fired, or any injuries to officers or members of the public.

‘Officers remain at the scene and further inquiries are ongoing,’ added Mr McDonald. 

The arrest comes as police and security services prepare for King Charles’ coronation on Saturday, which is expected to see large crowds line the streets of London and heads of state from around the world attend the formal coronation ceremony.

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Video footage shows how the handcuffed suspect hung his head as officers took him into custody.