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London — London police yesterday arrested a man at the fence surrounding the British parliament on suspicion of carrying a knife, which comes nearly three months after an Islamist terror attack in the same area.

The man was detained at 11:10AM by the Palace of Westminster in central London, police said in a statement.

“The man — aged in his 30s — was arrested on suspicion of possession of a knife. There are no reports of any injuries,” the brief statement said.

A bearded man, wearing black trousers and a grey sweatshirt, could be seen being held against the fence with his arms behind his back by a police officer.

A parliamentary spokesperson said: “We are aware of an incident outside the Palace of Westminster, which is being dealt with by the Metropolitan Police.”

On March 22, knifeman Khalid Masood drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four, and fatally stabbed a policeman guarding the gates of parliament before being shot dead by armed officers.

On April 27, a man was arrested across the street from parliament. Police said knives were recovered from him.

Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali (27) of north London, was charged with the intention of committing acts of terrorism engaged in conduct in preparation for giving effect to that intention.

He was also charged with two counts relating to explosive substances in Afghanistan in 2012.

Yesterday’s arrest comes on the first anniversary of the murder of MP Jo Cox, who was shot and stabbed to death in her constituency by a man with links to neo-Nazi organisations.

More than 110 000 events were to take place around Britain between Friday and Sunday for “The Great Get Together” in honour of Cox, celebrating her belief that “we have far more in common than that which divides us”.

Meanwhile, British authorities expect to spend weeks, even months, identifying the victims of the massive fire that engulfed a London high-rise this week, warning on Thursday that they may not be able to identify everyone.

At least 17 people were killed in the disaster, although that figure is expected to rise.

“There is a risk we may not be able to identify everybody,” said Commander Stuart Cundy at a media briefing.

“The process will be very long. We’re talking weeks                     . . . we’re talking months,” he added.

Of the 17 victims that have so far been confirmed, six have been identified.

Their bodies were recovered outside the building and police said it was for now “impossible to say how they died”.

The bodies of the remaining 11 victims are still inside the smouldering tower.

“They are simply not recognisable because of the fire,” Fiona McCormack, one of the Metropolitan Police’s senior identification managers, said. — AFP