Snipers, facial recognition and a bomb-proof nerve centre – huge coronation security in place as police get new powers to tackle disruption

Published

2 years ago

May 4, 2023

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Snipers on rooftops, air cover and facial recognition technology are among security measures in place for Operation Golden Orb – the security effort for the coronation.

It’s all being coordinated on the day from a bomb-proof basement across the Thames from Westminster Abbey.

Along with more than 11,000 police, it’s intended to provide iron-clad protection for the King’s big day.

Coronation latest: Overnight rehearsals give glimpse of what to expect – as protest group reveals its plan

Tactical firearms units with Heckler and Koch MP5 sub-machineguns and Glock 17 pistols will be on patrol, and there will be armed response vehicles on standby.

Meanwhile, spotters will take up position on rooftops alongside officers with sniper rifles.

Senior officers also plan to use facial recognition tech for the first time to identify terror suspects and criminals who may attempt to mix with the crowd.

However, much of the work has been done in the weeks building up to the event, with MI5 focusing surveillance on “subjects of interest” who have shown an interest in the Royal Family.

Air cover will be provided by three twin-engine Airbus helicopters from the Metropolitan Police Air Support Unit based at Lippitts Hill in Essex, backed up by aircraft from other forces.

They can also call on the National Police Air Service, which has four Vulcan 68R fixed-wing aeroplanes.

Hostile vehicle barriers have been moved into place to stop terrorists driving into the crowd and there will be a double layer of crowd control barriers to make it harder for an attacker to reach the King.

Sniffer dogs will conduct random checks for explosives as the public arrive at transport hubs and there will be officers on horseback.

Man with knife outside palace raises concerns

The security effort comes as police were given greater powers to tackle disruption to the coronation under new laws that came into force on Wednesday.

However, the arrest of a man outside Buckingham Palace on Tuesday has highlighted security concerns.

He was arrested after throwing what is suspected to be shotgun cartridges into palace grounds, the Metropolitan Police said.

A precautionary controlled explosion was carried out outside the palace and the man was held on suspicion of the possession of an offensive weapon, the force added.

Officers said a knife was found on him but he did not possess a gun.

The arrest has highlighted concerns, as has an escalating series of road-blocking protests by the Just Stop Oil campaign group.

But police are alert to the potential for a much bigger threat from terrorists who could use the global live television coverage to publicise their aims.

The new legislation carries up to a year in jail for demonstrators blocking roads, airports and railways.

Anyone locking or gluing themselves to buildings or objects risks six months behind bars.

Police can also stop and search anyone they suspect is planning to cause disruption – one of the powers given royal assent by the King on Tuesday.

Details of the new laws were outlined in a Home Office letter sent to various protest groups, some of whom reportedly condemned the move as “intimidatory”.

Police will have assembled an intelligence database of likely demonstrators and in the past, ahead of major public events, have visited known individuals to try to ask them about their intentions.

Anti-monarchist Patrick Thelwell, 23, who was fined last year for throwing an egg at the King in York, is urging others to join him at a Coronation Day “Not My King” protest in central London, but has asked demonstrators not to bring eggs.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said in a media briefing ahead of the coronation that the force is extremely proud to be policing proceedings in “the event of a lifetime”.

He said there will be hundreds of thousands of visitors coming to London for the event and said Saturday would be “one of the most significant security operations that the Met has led”.

Around 9,000 non-specialist police officers will be on duty, with another 2,500 officers specialising in areas such as close protection, firearms and search – putting the total deployment in excess of 11,500.

Meanwhile, Commander Karen Findlay, who is leading the policing operation as Gold Command, said there are more visitors classed as “V-VIP” attending the coronation than the Queen’s funeral.

She added that the deployment is also taking place in a shorter time period than for the funeral and around 10,000 military personnel will be present for the event.

Government in ‘no way complacent’

It comes as security minister Tom Tugendhat said the government is “in no way complacent” about security surrounding the King’s coronation after the arrest outside Buckingham Palace.

He said he was “very proud” of the way the police responded to the incident.

Mr Tugendhat told Kay Burley on Sky News: “I’m very glad to see that the police reacted incredibly quickly, incredibly professionally, to the incident last night.

“We’re in no way complacent. And I’m very, very proud of the response that the police have done.

“The intelligence services, the police and others have been working on this extremely effectively for months.”

Buckingham Palace confirmed neither the King nor Queen Consort were at the palace at the time of the incident.

Scotland Yard said they are not treating the incident as terror-related.

Asked how much security for the coronation would cost the taxpayer, Mr Tugendhat was unable to give a figure.

He said: “It’s very difficult to pull that out as a separate figure for the simple reason that we’ve got an enormous amount of effort going in for a major incident like this in different parts of the country – because there are people getting together in streets, there’s people getting together in gatherings across the country because this is a moment of national celebration.

“What I think is worth looking at, though, is how much this is bringing to the country in terms of the number of tourists who are coming, the amount of attention that is coming and indeed, I hope, the amount of business that will be generated by heads of state and government and other business people coming to the UK at this time to see what we offer.”

Pressed on figures of at least £100m just for security, Mr Tugendhat said: “It’s not a figure that I recognise, sorry.”

He said: “Forgive me for not being able to break it down at this point.

“The reason I don’t want to do that is because there’s police forces around the country who are doing different things and answer slightly differently through their own different structures.”

He said he did not have a number for how much it was costing the Metropolitan Police, but added: “What I’ve been doing is making sure that the Met are ready, and that means preparing with them and the National Crime Agency and the intelligence services to make sure they have all the resources they need.

“We have spent an awful lot of time over the last several months preparing for any number of different threats because the reality is this is a very complex event.”

World

‘Nobody likes Trump’: Sky News finds defiance on the streets of Tehran

Published

3 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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'Nobody likes Trump': Sky News finds defiance on the streets of Tehran

To the sound of mournful chants and the slow beat of drums, they march, whipping their backs with metal flails.

It is an ancient ceremony going back almost 14 centuries – the Shia commemoration of Ashura.

But this year in particular has poignant significance for Iranians.

The devout remember the betrayal and death of the Imam Hussein as if it happened yesterday.

We filmed men and women weep as they worshipped at the Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine in northern Tehran.

The grandson of the Prophet Muhammad was killed by the armies of the Caliph Yazid in the seventh century Battle of Karbala.

Shia Muslims mark the anniversary every year and reflect on the virtue it celebrates – of resistance against oppression and injustice. But more so than ever this year, in the wake of Israel and America’s attacks on their country.

The story is one of prevailing over adversity and deception. A sense of betrayal is keenly felt here by people and officials.

Many Iranians believe they were lured into pursuing diplomacy as part of a ruse by the US.

Iran believed it was making diplomatic progress in talks with America, which it hoped could lead to a deal. Then Israel launched its attacks and, instead of condemning them, the US joined in.

“Death to Israel” chants resounded outside the mosque in skies that for 12 days were filled with the sounds of Israeli jets.

There is a renewed sense of defiance here.

One man told us: “The lesson to be learned from Hussein is not to give in to oppression, even if it is the most powerful force in the world.”

A woman was dismissive about the US president.

“I don’t think about Trump. Nobody likes him. He always wants to attack too many countries.”

Pictures on billboards nearby link Imam Hussein’s story and current events. They show the seventh century imam on horseback alongside images of modern missiles and drones from the present day.

Other huge signs remember the dead. Iran says almost 1,000 people were killed in the strikes, many of them women and children.

Officially Iran is projecting defiance, but not closing the door to diplomacy.

Government spokeswoman Dr Fatemeh Mohajerani told Sky News that Israel should not even think about attacking again.

“We are very strong in defence, and as state officials have announced, this time Israel will receive an even stronger response compared to previous times. We hope that Israel will not make such a mistake.”

But there is also a hint of conciliation. Senior Iranian officials have told Sky News back-channel efforts are under way to explore new talks with the US.

Israel had hoped its attacks could topple the Iranian leadership. Those hopes proved unfounded. The government is in control here.

For many Iranians it seems quite the opposite happened – the 12-day war has brought them closer together.

World

Two security workers injured after grenades thrown at aid site, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says

Published

6 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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Two security workers injured after grenades thrown at aid site, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says

Two American security workers in Gaza were injured after grenades were thrown during food distribution in Khan Younis, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has said.

In a statement, the US and Israeli-backed aid group said a targeted terrorist attack was carried out at one of its sites in southern Gaza on Saturday morning.

The two Americans injured “are receiving medical treatment and are in stable condition,” it said, adding that the delivery of aid was “otherwise successful” and that “no local aid workers or civilians were harmed”.

GHF didn’t say exactly when the incident happened but claimed Hamas was behind the attack, adding: “GHF has repeatedly warned of credible threats from Hamas, including explicit plans to target American personnel, Palestinian aid workers, and the civilians who rely on our sites for food.

“Today’s attack tragically affirms those warnings.”

Later, the aid group posted a picture on social media, which it said showed “fragments of a grenade packed with ball bearings” that was used in the attack.

Asked by Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, whether the two injured individuals were responsible for handing out aid or were responsible for providing security, GHF said they were “American security workers” and “two American veterans.”

The aid group did not provide specific evidence that Hamas was behind the attack.

The US and Israeli-backed group has been primarily responsible for aid distribution since Israel lifted its 11-week blockade of the Gaza Strip in May.

It comes after Sky News analysis showed GHF aid distributions are associated with a significant increase in deaths in Gaza.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, 600 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid from GHF sites as of 3 July, which charities and the UN have branded “death traps”.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press has reported that Israeli-backed American contractors guarding GHF aid centres in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades.

GHF has vehemently denied the accusations, adding that it investigated AP’s allegations and found them to be “categorically false”.

Israel’s military added that it fires only warning shots and is investigating reports of civilian harm.

It denies deliberately shooting at any innocent civilians and says it’s examining how to reduce “friction with the population” in the areas surrounding the distribution centres.

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Hamas gives ‘positive’ response to ceasefire proposal but asks for amendments

Published

12 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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Hamas gives 'positive' response to ceasefire proposal but asks for amendments

Hamas has said it has “submitted its positive response” to the latest proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza to mediators.

The proposal for a 60-day ceasefire was presented by US President Donald Trump, who has been pushing hard for a deal to end the fighting in Gaza, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to visit the White House next week to discuss a deal.

Mr Trump said Israel had agreed to his proposed ceasefire terms, and he urged Hamas to accept the deal as well.

Hamas’ “positive” response to the proposal had slightly different wording on three issues around humanitarian aid, the status of the Israeli Defence Forces inside Gaza and the language around guarantees beyond the 60-day ceasefire, a source with knowledge of the negotiations revealed.

But the source told Sky News: “Things are looking good.”

Hamas said it is “fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework” without elaborating on what needed to be worked out in the proposal’s implementation.

The US said during the ceasefire it would “work with all parties to end the war”.

A Hamas official said on condition of anonymity that the truce could start as early as next week.

But he added that talks were needed first to establish how many Palestinian prisoners would be released in return for each freed Israeli hostage and to specify the amount of humanitarian aid that will be allowed to enter Gaza during the ceasefire.

He said negotiations on a permanent ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in return for the release of the remaining hostages would start on the first day of the truce.

Hamas has been seeking guarantees that the 60-day ceasefire would lead to a total end to the nearly 21-month-old war, which caused previous rounds of negotiations to fail as Mr Netanyahu has insisted that Israel would continue fighting in Gaza to ensure the destruction of Hamas.

The Hamas official said that Mr Trump has guaranteed that the ceasefire will extend beyond 60 days if necessary to reach a peace deal, but there is no confirmation from the US of such a guarantee.

Speaking to journalists on Air Force One, Mr Trump welcomed Hamas’s “positive spirit” to the proposal, adding that there could be a ceasefire deal by next week.

Hamas also said it wants more aid to flow through the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies, which comes as the UN human rights officer said it recorded 613 Palestinians killed in Gaza within a month while trying to obtain aid.

Most of them were said to have been killed while trying to reach food distribution points by the controversial US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

The spokeswoman for the UN human rights office, Ravina Shamdasani, said the agency was not able to attribute responsibility for the killings, but added that “it is clear that the Israeli military has shelled and shot at Palestinians trying to reach the distribution points” operated by GHF.

Ms Shamdasani said that of the total tallied, 509 killings were “GHF-related”, meaning at or near its distribution sites.

The GHF accused the UN of taking its casualty figures “directly from the Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry” and of trying “to falsely smear our effort”, which echoed statements to Sky News by the executive director of GHF, Johnnie Moore.

Mr Moore called the UN figures a “disinformation campaign” that is “meant to shut down our efforts” in the Gaza Strip.