Man held after climbing Buckingham Palace fence

A man has been arrested after climbing over a security fence at Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II's residence in London, early on Tuesday, police said.

The 22-year-old man, who had been drinking, did not get into the palace and was unarmed, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. They also ruled out any link to terrorism.

The queen and other royals are not currently at the palace. She is at Balmoral, her residence in the Scottish Highlands.

"At approximately 04:15 hrs (0315 GMT) on Tuesday, 9 August, officers arrested a 22-year-old from Croydon on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site... after he climbed over a security fence at Buckingham Palace," the statement said.

"The man is currently in custody at a central London police station."

The last similar breach at Buckingham Palace was in May, when a man with a conviction for murder was arrested after climbing the perimeter wall and entering the grounds.

Denis Hennessy, who had been released from prison in 2002 after serving his murder sentence, repeatedly asked "Is Ma'am in?" as he was arrested.

He was sent back to prison for four months over the breach.