Queen: pick axe suspect charged
Updated on 25 May 2007
A man has been charged after he was spotted carrying a pick axe near where the Queen was due to begin a walkabout in Yorkshire.
The 34-year-old was charged overnight with possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and will appear at Huddersfield Magistrates' Court on June 1.
The man was swooped on by police and royal protection officers 30 minutes before the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were due to visit St George's Square in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, on Thursday.
A short struggle ensued as the man was initially handcuffed by two or three police officers before being pulled over a barrier and led away.
It is understood police officers had been observing a man allegedly acting suspiciously in the crowd before they intervened.
The square was packed with adults and schoolchildren waiting for the royal party to arrive and some of those who witnessed the arrest, including young children, looked upset by what they had seen.
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