UK police arrest man with knife trying to enter Buckingham Palace in London

LONDON – A man with a knife was arrested after he tried to dart through a gate at Buckingham Palace in London on Monday, police said. The palace said Queen Elizabeth II was not in residence.

Breaches of royal security are rare, but just a month ago police arrested two men over a suspected break-in at the palace.

Police said Monday a 44-year-old man was apprehended as he tried to run through security at a palace gate that serves both pedestrians and vehicles.

They searched him and found a knife. They arrested him on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon.

The man is currently in custody at a London police station, the force added, stressing that the man was apprehended "immediately."

That was not the case in September's embarrassing breach, when an intruder was discovered prowling around the palace after scaling a fence, and an alleged accomplice was also arrested. That was judged one of the most serious incidents since Michael Fagan managed to sneak into the queen's private chambers in 1982.

Other security breaches at Buckingham Palace in recent history:

1974 – a mentally ill man, Ian Ball, tries to kidnap Princess Anne as she is driven down the Mall. Her bodyguard and three other people are shot

1981 – six blank shots are fired from the crowd while the Queen is riding in the Trooping the Colour ceremony

1982 – unemployed Michael Fagan breaks into the Queen's private chambers in Buckingham Palace while she is in bed

1994 – student David Kang charges at Prince Charles while firing a starting pistol during a ceremony in Sydney

2003 – comedian Aaron Barschak manages to get into Prince William's 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle