UK police said Friday officers had carried out a controlled explosion after “a suspicious package” was found outside the United States embassy in London.

The capital’s Metropolitan Police force conducted the explosion after setting up cordons near the high-security site in Nine Elms, just south of the River Thames.

“We can confirm that the ‘loud bang’ reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the force said in a post on X.

We’re aware of speculation online about an incident in the vicinity of the US Embassy in Nine Elms.

Cordons are in place in the area as a precaution while officers investigate a suspect package.

We will provide a further update in due course.

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 22, 2024

“Enquiries are still ongoing and cordons will remain in place for the time being.”

The US embassy said in a post on its X account that local authorities were investigating “a suspicious package” outside the building.

It added that police had closed a nearby road “out of an abundance of caution”.

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