Man arrested near UK parliament charged with possessing offensive weapon

A man arrested outside the British parliament in central London has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon and assaulting an officer, police said on Tuesday.

Eniola Mustafa Aminu, 27, was detained last Friday by officers who used a Taser stun gun near one of the gates to parliament where a militant killed a policeman less than three months ago.

Unlike the previous attack, Aminu's case is not considered a terrorist incident, authorities have said.

Aminu appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday and was remanded to appear at the same court again on Tuesday following a mental health assessment.

British police are on high alert after a man drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four, and then stabbed a policeman to death in the grounds of parliament in March.

That attack was followed by a suicide bombing at a pop concert in Manchester which killed 22, a deadly attack on London Bridge this month, while on Monday a van was driven into Muslim worshippers leaving prayers in north London.