LONDON—British police detained a man who had doused himself in what appeared to be gasoline outside parliament in London on Oct. 1.
“Man next to me at Parliament’s carriage gates appears to have poured (what smells like) petrol on himself,” lawmaker Huw Merriman wrote on Twitter. “Incredibly brave response from police, who are now helping him.”
Police said he poured what appeared to be flammable liquid over himself.
“The man, who had a lighter, was sprayed with a fire extinguisher,” a police statement said. “There was no ignition and the man was detained.”
There were no injuries and the man was later detained under the Mental Health Act, police said.
According to The Independent, police do not believe the incident was related to Brexit protests taking place nearby.
Carriage Gates is an entrance to the Palace of Westminster which is the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The gates open onto Parliament Square, where demonstrations often take place.
By Michael Holden; editing by Guy Faulconbridge
Ella Kietlinska, Epoch Times contributed to this article
