Kensington Gardens were closed while police "assessed items."

 

A heavy police presence is visible from behind a cordon(Image: PA Media )

After a video of a group claiming to have used drones to target the nearby Embassy of Israel with dangerous substances, police are "evaluating a number of discarded items" in London's Kensington Gardens. The embassy had not been attacked, according to the Metropolitan Police, and officers were looking into the footage's authenticity and where it came from. As police investigate the items and verify the authenticity of the footage, the entire park will be closed on Friday. The Met stated that it "does not believe there to be any increased public safety risk at this stage," while the embassy confirmed that staff were safe and that the site had not been attacked.

A Met Police chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear team has been seen near the park's bandstand.

A fire investigation unit from the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service's hazardous area response team are also at the scene.

Met Police Commissioner Matt Jukes said:

"Counter-terrorism policing London are aware of a video shared online overnight in which a group claim to have targeted the nearby Embassy of Israel...we're carrying out urgent inquiries to determine the authenticity of the video and to identify any potential link between it and the items discarded in Kensington Gardens."

The force urged people to avoid the area while investigations are carried out.

A spokesperson for the embassy said: "A suspected security incident is being investigated in the park adjacent to the Embassy of Israel in London.

"We wish to clarify that all Embassy staff are safe and that the Embassy was not attacked.

"As always we remain in close and continuous contact with the local authorities."

Source: BBC