British police reportedly foiled an alleged plot by four Islamic terrorists to kill the Queen of England.
The assassins allegedly planned to stab 88-year-old Queen Elizabeth at a military event at Royal Albert Hall ahead of weekend ceremonies honoring England's World War I dead, according to the subscription-only
Sun newspaper.
The assassins were going to use a knife but also had access to firearms, The Sun reports.
Scotland Yard said it arrested the men — aged 19, 22, 25, and 27 — on Thursday and Friday in west London as part of an ongoing investigation into "Islamist related terrorism."
"The men have been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the Commission, Preparation or Instigation of acts of Terrorism," the statement from Metropolitan police statement read.
Police said they were carrying out searches of at least eight properties.
Officials made Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister David Cameron aware of the potential threat, but her Royal Highness still plans to attend the weekend’s ceremonies, the
New York Post reports.
The Daily Mail reports security will be stepped up, however, with "a ring of steel … thrown around Whitehall" as the Queen leads events marking the centenary of the start of the First World War.
It's not the first time the Queen has been targeted.
The Daily Mail notes the Queen and her husband, Philip, were the targets of an assassination attempt while on a royal tour in Australia in 1970. The royals were on their way from Sydney to Orange when their train struck a wooden log placed on the tracks to derail it – but the train was traveling slow enough that the tragedy was averted, The Daily Mail notes.
In August, the U.K. national terror threat was raised from "substantial" to "severe," meaning a terrorist attack is considered "highly likely,"
Buzz Feed reports.
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