On November 22, 2024, the UK police announced that a suspicious package was found outside the US Embassy in London. The authorities have destroyed the package and launched an investigation.
The US Embassy building is located in the Nine Elms area in south London. It is a 12-story glass building with defensive fortifications around it. The London Metropolitan Police stated on Friday that after the discovery of the suspicious package, they immediately closed the streets outside the embassy with extreme caution and then destroyed it using controlled explosion.
“We have noticed speculations online about the events near the US Embassy in the Nine Elms area,” the London Metropolitan Police said. “As a precaution, we have set up a cordon in the area, and the police are investigating a suspicious package.”
Following the incident, reports circulated online of a “loud bang” being heard near the embassy. The police then updated the information, saying, “We can confirm that the ‘loud bang’ reported earlier in the area was the controlled explosion conducted by the police. The investigation is ongoing, and the cordon will remain in place temporarily.”
“Preliminary evidence suggests that this was a hoax device,” the police stated.
The US Embassy in London released a statement on social media platform X, saying that normal business operations have now resumed. However, all public appointments scheduled for Friday, including visa appointments, passport appointments, and other services for US citizens, have been canceled.
“We will be contacting applicants via email to reschedule appointments. Local authorities have investigated and cleared a suspicious package outside the embassy. We appreciate the swift action of the London Metropolitan Police and thank all visitors for their cooperation and patience at this time,” the embassy said.
In January 2018, the US relocated the embassy from Mayfair in central London to Nine Elms, partly for security and safety reasons.
According to the US government, the construction cost of this 12-story government office building was approximately $1 billion, funded entirely from the proceeds of selling other US government properties in London.