Police charge man following incident near London's Downing Street

LONDON - British police said they had charged a 29-year-old man who was armed with a knife when he confronted two Ministry of Defence police officers near Prime Minister Boris Johnson's official residence in central London on Monday.

Prashanth Kandaiah was charged with attempted grevious bodily harm and possession of a pointed/bladed article and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court later on Tuesday, police said.

Police cordoned off Whitehall, which is home to several government departments including Johnson's Downing Street office and residence, for several hours on Monday following the incident on Horse Guards Parade.

Police said it was not being treated as terror-related.