Man arrested after approaching Queen Elizabeth II's coffin in Westminster Hall

Man arrested for approaching the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall (James Manning/PA)

A man is in police custody after he moved out of the queue of mourners and rushed towards Queen Elizabeth II's coffin in Westminster Hall on Friday night.

Metropolitan Police said the incident occurred around 10pm, as the live feed from inside the hall cut away for a brief period.

A statement from Scotland Yard said: “Around 22:00hrs on Friday 16 September officers from the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command detained a man in Westminster Hall following a disturbance.

“He was arrested for an offence under the Public Order Act and is currently in custody.”

A spokesperson for the British parliament offered more detail of the man’s actions, saying in a statement: “We’re aware of an incident in Westminster Hall, in which a member of the public moved out of the queue and towards the Catafalque.

“They have now been removed from the Hall and the queue restarted with minimal disruption.”

It comes after a 19-year-old man allegedly exposed himself and pushed into mourners from behind as they waited in the line at Victoria Tower Gardens on Wednesday.

Adio Adeshine is said to have gone into the River Thames in an attempt to evade police before coming out and being arrested.

He was remanded in custody on Friday after appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.