Extremists Inspected UK Parliament as Tourists: Intel Report

Local Editor

Extremists went on tours of the Houses of Parliament in London in order to examine the buildings, intelligence sources revealed on Sunday, prompting calls for the closure of the Palace of Westminster to the public.

Houses of Parliament in London

The revelation coming in the wake of the Canadian parliament shooting has led to British Labour MP Barry Sheerman to demand that Speaker John Bercow limit the number of tourists visiting the House of Commons. 

Meanwhile, MPs have been instructed on what to do in case a shooter does break into the parliament building.

Among various safety measures, MPs are being advised to installing panic buttons in their offices and setting up a "safe room" in their homes to be able to hide from possible intruders.

A senior British politician and former cabinet minister, Peter Hain, earlier this week, called for a review of the House of Commons' security procedures and infrastructure in the wake of the recent Canadian parliament shootings.

Britain's most senior police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe warned some days ago that"up to five British extremists were joining militant groups in Syria every week, and that there have been at least 500 Britons who have traveled to the region to fight.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team