A man who climbed up the tower housing Big Ben in an apparent protest has now come down.
The barefoot man spent most of the day on a ledge several metres up the Elizabeth Tower holding a Palestinian flag at the Palace of Westminster in central London.
Westminster Police said the man was arrested once he reached the ground.
During Saturday, negotiators and emergency crews on a cherry picker had been talking to the man who was several feet away, appealing for him to come down.
He earlier told negotiators he would come down “on his own terms”.
The Metropolitan Police said they were called to the scene in central London at 7.24am on Saturday.
Photographs showed the man sat on the ledge with the flag and a keffiyeh, a headdress worn by men in the Middle East, wrapped around the decorative stonework on the tower.
He shared a number of videos on Instagram during his 16-and-a-half-hours on the tower, suggesting in one that he planned to stay there for three and a half days.
A large red stain which appeared to be blood could be seen on the side of the tower around the climber’s feet.
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Man with Palestinian flag climbs Big Ben
All of Westminster Bridge was closed on Saturday morning as emergency services responded to the incident. Parliamentary tours were also cancelled.
Westminster Police added at around 1am on Sunday: “This has been a protracted incident due to the specifics of where the man was located and the need to ensure the safety of our officers, the individual and the wider public.
“We worked with other agencies including the London Fire Brigade and…
