Lockdown over suspicious package at US embassy in London

The US embassy in south London was on Wednesday briefly placed under lockdown as a suspicious package was investigated by armed security officials.

Embassy staff within the sprawling complex in the Nine Elms area of the city were asked to stay indoors as security measures were undertaken. According to reports, armed guards asked everyone inside the building to move away from the glass facade of the building as a precaution and some fire engines were called in as back up.

“The US Embassy is back to normal business operations. Local authorities investigated and cleared a suspicious package outside the Embassy,” the American Embassy in London tweeted in an update, as it thanked the Metropolitan Police force.


“Thanks to @metpoliceuk for your swift action, and thanks to all visitors for your cooperation and patience at this time,” the embassy said.

The complex at Nine Elms by the River Thames formally opened in January 2018 after the US embassy shifted from its Grosvenor Square location in central London, mainly over security concerns as its historic status prevented any major changes to the structural design.

Designed by Philadelphia-based architecture firm KieranTimberlake, the new complex is a translucent crystalline cube design that is based on core democratic values of transparency, openness, and equality. It is said to have been designed with greater energy efficiency in mind and also has many reinforced security measures.