London:
A 23-year-old man who spent overeight hours on the roof of the UK's historic Parliament building was today arrested by Scotland Yard on suspicion of criminal damage and trespassing. A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said officers were on the scene to deal with the incident and at this stage it was too early to know why the man had been on the roof.
"At 9:15 pm officers were made aware of a man trespassing on the roof at the Palace of Westminster. London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service are in attendance," she said. The man was later detained and was taken to a central London police station.
The roof has previously been targeted by campaign groups,including those opposed to a third runway at Heathrow and by Greenpeace. The fire service said yesterday that it had three crews on standby at the scene but could not comment on any action being taken to gain access to the roof.
The man was seen pacing up and down the historic Palace of Westminster, wearing a grey, long-sleeved top and dark trousers. The police kept trying to talk to him but there were only occasional muffled shouts from the roof. The 19th century Gothic Revival landmark, on the north bank of the River Thames, is home to the lower House of Commons and the upper House of Lords.
