The US Embassy was placed in lockdown as armed officers swooped on a suspicious package that is now thought to have been a hoax device. Armed officers from the Met Police arrived at the building in Nine Elms, south west London, following reports of a suspicious package on at around 10am on Friday.

London police said a "loud bang" heard near the U.S. Embassy was a controlled explosion carried out after a suspicious package was discovered.

A “controlled explosion” has been carried out by Metropolitan Police officers outside the US embassy in Nine Elms, London. It followed reports of a suspicious package outside the embassy. The police said in a statement: “We’re aware of speculation online about an incident in the vicinity of the US Embassy in Nine Elms.