British Intelligence Reportedly Foils Plot To Kill Prime Minister

By Scott Neuman / NPR

Published December 5, 2017 at 10:18 PM PST

This story was published more than 7 years ago.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May prepares to greet Spain's prime minister outside No. 10 Downing St. in central London on Tuesday.

Britain's domestic intelligence agency MI5 has foiled a terrorist plot to assassinate Prime Minister Theresa May, U.K. media report.

Two men have been charged with terrorism-related offenses in connection with the plot, which reportedly involved using improvised explosives to blow up the gate at No. 10 Downing St., the prime minister's residence, and to kill May in the ensuing chaos, various media say.

The men, who Sky News said were arrested last week, were scheduled to appear on Wednesday in Westminster Magistrates' Court, according to The Telegraph, which said the information was provided on Tuesday in a briefing by Andrew Parker, the head of MI5.

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However, the prime minister's spokesman declined to discuss details of the plot.

Sky quoted unnamed sources as describing the planned attack as "an extreme Islamist suicide plot."

Reuters reports that police have confirmed that the two suspects are Naa'imur Zakariyah Rahman, 20, of north London, and Mohammed Aqib Imran, 21, of southeast Birmingham.