Man arrested near Downing Street on terror charges appears in court

A man arrested with a quantity of knives in his possession close to Downing Street, appeared in court Wednesday in London.

Overnight the Metropolitan Police said Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali, 27, of north London had been charged with a number of offences.

Ali has been accused of one charge of preparation of terrorist acts, and two charges of possession of explosives with intent. Two of the charges relate to activity in Afghanistan in 2012.

Ali was arrested last month near the Parliament Square in Whitehall, a short distance from Prime Minister Theresa May's official residence at 10 Downing Street.

At Westminster magistrates court in London, Ali, wearing handcuffs, was flanked by six guards. As the charges were put to him, Ali replied: "I don't recognize the charges."

Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said she would enter a not guilty plea on his behalf on all of the charges. She remanded Ali in custody to prison to appear before a judge at the Old Bailey high court in London on May 19.

His arrest came just weeks after five people, including a police officer, were killed by a terrorist in the vicinity of the Houses of Parliament. Terrorism police in London also arrested a group of people, most of them young women, in an armed on an address in North London.

Meanwhile Britain's National Counter Terrorism Security Office issued security advice Wednesday to candidates and officials taking part in the general election.

They are being urged to consider their protective security provisions and remain vigilant and report suspicious behavior to police.

The advisory adds: "The UK threat level remains at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. Terrorist groups and individuals continue to encourage individuals to plan and mount attacks in the UK, particularly against symbols of the State and crowded places.

"Low sophistication, low complexity methodologies are the simplest to execute and require little or no training. We urge the public to be alert but not alarmed. The police service and our partners are doing everything we can to help protect the security of citizens, communities, public institutions and businesses," it said. Endit