Police carried out a controlled explosion as a suspicious package was found near the US Embassy in London

London – London police carried out a controlled explosion on Friday after finding a suspicious package near the American Embassy in the British capital. They closed at least one road near the embassy compound, which sits south of the River Thames in the Nine Elms area.

“We can confirm that the ‘loud noise’ reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by the police,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement posted online.

The embassy posted on its social media that police closed the road near the building “out of an abundance of caution.”

The US Embassy in London opened in its new location just outside the city center in early 2018. It sits on a campus well away from most public roads and is surrounded by strong defenses.

Former UK counter-terrorism adviser Nick Aldworth told CBS News on Friday that the US embassy is “one of the most secure places in London.”

“It’s a purpose-built ambassador,” he said, which gave the company “the advantage of being built with built-in environmental protection measures” such as land insects and other physical features, putting it “at the highest end of the design and environment. protecting it from terrorist attacks.”

Not long after the notice was issued at the embassy, ​​a similar situation occurred at Gatwick Airport, south London, where a suspected contraband was found in someone’s luggage causing one terminal to be closed.

“The South Terminal has been evacuated as a precautionary measure while we continue to investigate the security incident,” the Gatwick press office told CBS News. “Passengers will not be able to enter the South Station while this is in progress. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remains our top priority. We are working to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.”

Sussex Police said in a statement that the bomb squad had been dispatched to investigate the incident, “as a precaution.”

“This is causing major disruption and the roads around the South Terminal have been closed,” the police said. “We urge the public to avoid the area where possible.”