Here come the troops: Army sends 1,000 heavily-armed soldiers to guard Buckingham Palace, Parliament and key locations around Britain as PM warns ANOT

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[h=2]Here come the troops: Army sends 1,000 heavily-armed soldiers to guard Buckingham Palace, Parliament and key locations around Britain as PM warns ANOTHER terror attack is 'imminent'[/h]

Soldiers will be deployed to guard Buckingham Palace and other 'key locations' across Britain in an extraordinary step after Theresa May warned that a fresh terror attack on the UK may be 'imminent'. Around 1,000 military personnel will be deployed on Britain's streets in response to the worst terrorist attack for over a decade - the first time such a step has been take in almost 15 years. Troops were seen filing into Parliament (main picture) and Scotland Yard (inset) this morning. The Changing of the Guard ceremony has also been cancelled today, the Houses of Parliament are closed to non-passholders and tours have been stopped indefinitely.

 

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[h=1]Here come the troops: Army sends 1,000 heavily-armed soldiers to guard Buckingham Palace and key UK locations as PM warns ANOTHER terror attack is 'imminent'[/h]

• Armed troops will guard key locations in London including Buckingham Palace, Scotland Yard says
• The Changing of the Guard ceremony has been cancelled in London and Parliament is on lockdown
• It comes after Theresa May warned a further terror attack may be 'imminent' following Manchester bombing
• Decision, taken at meeting of Government's emergency Cobra committee, will see 984 troops deployed
• It is the first time the military has been sent out to patrol British streets since a similar threat in 2003
• It follows a terror attack on Ariana Grande concert in Manchester which killed 22 people and injured 119 more

 

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Soldiers will be deployed to guard Buckingham Palace and other 'key locations' across Britain in an extraordinary step after Theresa May warned that a fresh terror attack on the UK may be 'imminent'.
Around 1,000 military personnel will be deployed on Britain's streets in response to the worst terrorist attack for over a decade - the first time such a step has been take in almost 15 years.
The Changing of the Guard ceremony has also been cancelled today, the Houses of Parliament are closed to non-passholders and tours have been stopped indefinitely.
Troops will act as armed guards at Downing Street, the Palace of Westminster and foreign embassies, Scotland Yard said this morning.
It is the first time troops have been deployed to Britain's streets since 2003, when Tony Blair sent tanks to guard Heathrow during another terror scare.

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Soldiers from the Paratroop regiment and Irish guards arrive at Parliament today as troops are deployed around Britain

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British troops are being deployed to Downing Street and other 'key locations' across London, replacing police as they act as armed guards following the Manchester attack

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Soldiers were seen filing into Scotland Yard, the Met Police's headquarters in the shadow of Big Ben this morning

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Soldiers will also act as armed guards at Downing Street, Parliament (pictured) and embassies, Scotland Yard said





Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old Mancunian of Libyan descent, killed 22 people - including a girl aged just eight - and injured 119 more when he detonated an explosive device packed with nuts and bolts in the foyer of the Manchester Arena.
Twenty people remain in 'critical care' this morning, with some having suffered 'horrific injuries' including major organ damage and potential loss of limbs.
Soldiers are replacing armed police at many popular tourist spots as part of the Met Police's Operation Temperer, which will free up police officers to fight the terror threat.

 

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Operation Temperer, which will allow troops to be deployed in support of the police, was enacted following a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee.
The Ministry of Defence said cancelling today's Changing of the Guard would allow police usually used to secure the ceremony to work on anti-terror operations.
An MoD spokesman said: 'The decision has been taken in order to release the police who would otherwise be dealing with the road closures.'

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Police led a line of troops into Buckingham Palace today as more than 9000 soldiers were sent onto the streets of Britain

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Soldiers line up to receive their orders at the Met Police's headquarters, whose famous sign is seen in the background

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Armed troops and police file past a guard in front of Buckingham Palace today during one of the deployments

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The deployment of soldiers, these from the Household Cavalry, comes after the terror threat level was raised to 'critical'

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Soldiers file into a side entrance of Buckingham Palace this afternoon as they prepare to patrol the area for terrorists

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Troops at Wellington Barracks, London prepare to be deployed to sites around Britain to deal with the increased terror threat

A statement on the Parliament website said all tours and events were being cancelled with immediate effect.
'In light of the tragic events in Manchester and the Prime Minister's announcement raising the national security threat level to critical, the police have advised that the Palace of Westminster should be closed to non-passholders today, Wednesday 24 May,' the statement said.
'As a consequence all tours, events and banqueting will be cancelled with immediate effect. This arrangement will remain in place until the advice changes.'
At Windsor Castle, Changing of the Guard was also cancelled. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards were ferried to the Queen's Berkshire residence by bus instead of marching up from the town's Victoria Barracks.
Chelsea football team have cancelled Sunday's planned victory parade following security advice in the wake of the Manchester terror attack.

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A man was arrested with a knife outside Buckingham Palace today although the incident is not believed to be terror-related

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City of London police closed off streets around St Paul's Cathedral this morning after a suspicious package was reported

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The square was quickly evacuated by officers this morning but the package was later determined not to pose a threat

The team had planned an open top bus tour to show off the Premier League trophy and hope to add the FA Cup in Saturday's final with Arsenal.
But following consultation with the authorities - and with the terror threat raised to 'critical' - it has been determined 'it would be inappropriate' for the parade to go ahead.
Police rushed to two incidents in London today as they stepped up patrols and carried out more searches.
A man with a knife was tackled by eight officers outside Buckingham Palace. But the Met said the incident was not terror-related.
In the City, Paternoster Square, not far from St Paul's was closed by police investigating reports of a suspicious package. The area was later reopened after the object was found to not pose a threat.
Scotland Yard said the military will be working under Scotland Yard's command structure to provide 'static armed guarding at key locations' which 'will include Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, embassies and the Palace of Westminster. This will free up armed officers to carry out patrols'.

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Police escorted members of the Household Cavalry along The Mall today after Horse Guards Parade was cancelled

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Armed police were on patrol around St Paul's Cathedral, which hosted The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh today. They are attending a service to mark the centenary of the Order of the British Empire.





Commander Jane Connors, leading the London policing operation, said: 'We will do all we can to protect the capital that we serve at this unsettling time. All our work is designed to make our city as hostile an environment as possible for terrorists to plan and operate.'
[h=3]Previous terror alerts[/h]2003 - Tanks were deployed outside Heathrow Airport after top intelligence adviser Sir David Omand informed then-PM Tony Blair of an 'imminent' threat.
2006 - The terror threat level was raised to 'critical' after police uncovered a plot to smuggle explosives on board trans-Atlantic planes.
2007 - The level was raised again when police were hunting two men who left two car bombs outside a London nightclub, they later attacked Glasgow airport when one of them died.

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Home Secretary Amber Rudd said to give the police all the support they needed, the Government was supporting them in Operation Temperer so they could have Armed Forces assistance in order to 'free up police'.
Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, she said: 'They will basically be backfilling where police are otherwise occupied now, where they can do more work on this or on keeping people safe and we fully expect it to be temporary.'
She added: 'This is a temporary arrangement in order to respond to an exceptional event.'
Scotland Yard has said there would be a surge in police numbers and operations with immediate effect.
Extra armed officers will provide support for an operation called Project Servator which sees uniformed and undercover officers trying to spot people carrying out 'hostile reconnaissance' and other criminal activity on the capital's streets.
The tactic 'is based on extensive research into the psychology of criminals and what undermines their activities', the force said.
There will also be an increase in the use of stop and search, vehicle check points and number plate recognition technology.

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Armed police were patrolling the concourse at Manchester Piccadilly train station this morning following Monday's attack

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The Government has activated Operation Temperer, providing up to 3,800 troops to support the police in security operations

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Police with automatic weapons stood guard at entrances to The Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham this morning

Ms Connors added: 'The reality is that we must be prepared to be able to respond to and deal with armed and deadly attackers, so we must be in a position to respond with firearms officers who will use force to stop those attackers in their aim.
'That is why we have increased the number of firearms officers who are on duty, both out walking and in roaming patrols, at fixed points and carrying out a range of operations.'
The country's senior counter-terrorism officer on Tuesday acknowledged the use of troops was 'unusual' but it would allow police to 'stretch our armed capability'.
Met Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said the first phase would allow soldiers to replace police officers at fixed locations but after that they could 'augment our patrols' at sites such as transport hubs and major events.
'There are many big events across the country over the next couple of weeks, we are going to be working really closely with the organisers to review the security, review their stewarding arrangements, review our policing arrangements and make sure that decisions are taken that events only go ahead when it's sensible and safe to do so,' he said.

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It is the first time troops will be deployed to the streets of Britain since tanks were stationed at Heathrow Airport during a terror alert in 2003

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Ground-to-air missiles were also deployed in east London during the 2012 Olympic Games. Pictured: Missiles on Blackheath

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Specially-trained and equipped police have carried out a number of live training exercises on the streets of London in recent years. This 2015 exercise was training officers to dealing a marauding 'Mumbai-style' attack

The plan means soldiers could be deployed to support police at major events such as the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday or the Champions League final in Cardiff on June 3.
Prime Minister Theresa May said the operation had been authorised by Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon at the request of the police after experts at the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) raised the threat level from 'severe' to the highest 'critical' setting.
The threat level has only been raised to 'critical' twice since the system was introduced on August 1, 2006.
Armed police patrols are being increased in Northern Ireland. However, there will be no deployment of the military on the streets.
Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable George Hamilton said the public can expect to see a greater police presence at iconic sites and transport networks across the region.

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This graphic shows the timeline of the horrifying night at the Manchester Arena which left 22 people dead

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Specialist armed officers in camouflage were deployed to the street where the bomber lived in south Manchester yesterday

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This photo shows the aftermath of the suicide bomb which ripped through the foyer of the venue killing parents and children

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Casualties are stretchered out of the concert on Monday evening after a terror attack in the Ariana Grande concert

Intelligence agencies fear Abedi may not have acted alone when he targeted the Manchester Arena - leaving open the possibility of an active Islamist terror cell on the loose.
Police yesterday carried out a controlled explosion at the doorstep of his home during raids around the city. Forensics officers were seen emerging from the killer's property carrying a booklet called Know Your Chemicals.
Police also raided a house where Abedi's brother Ismail, lived and the 23-year-old was arrested outside a Morrison's in the Chorlton area of Manchester.
[h=3]Troops on the streets: What is Operation Temperer?[/h]Documents uncovered by The Mail on Sunday in July 2015 revealed that the operation, codenamed Operation Temperer, would see up to 5,000 heavily armed troops deployed.
The unprecedented operation would see troops guard key targets alongside armed police officers, providing 'protective security' against further attacks, while counter-terror experts and MI5 officers hunted down the plotters, it reported at the time.

 

[Dave007inVegas 0]

Much like every other terror attack in the world the response is a day late and a dollar short.