Whitehall in central London was closed off on Monday evening after police responded to a report of a suspicious package. The Metropolitan Police were alerted at 5.19pm to a suspect item in King Charles Street, near the junction with Parliament Street.
The cordon included the entrance to Downing Street from Whitehall, and Westminster Underground Station was also closed during the busy rush hour. Transport for London advised motorists to use alternative routes and expect delays.
The security alert came as protesters prepared to march through Westminster as part of the annual Million Mask March, organised by the activist group Anonymous. Hundreds of demonstrators wearing Guy Fawkes masks were expected to gather between 6pm and 9pm on a prescribed route from Trafalgar Square to Whitehall.
By 6.41pm, Whitehall had reopened after the emergency services investigation concluded. Restrictions on nearby roads, including Bridge Street, Great George Street, Victoria Street, and Abingdon Street, were also lifted.
