A man has been detained after appearing to douse himself with flammable liquid outside the UK parliament in Westminster, triggering a security alert in central London. A Metropolitan Police statement said he was found with a lighter in his possession but there was no ignition. Ambulance and fire crews attended, with the latter making the scene safe after “dispersing” the suspected flammable liquid. There were no reports of any injuries. The man was held under the Mental Health Act and has been taken to a central London hospital. “Police have closed Carriage Gate and someone has been arrested,” tweeted London Resisters, an activist group dedicated to fighting Brexit. “Rumour someone's thrown petrol, can smell it from the other side of the road, one person in red jacket being held by the police,” they said.
