British Embassy staff in Romania were targeted by a suspected al-Qaeda terrorist brandishing a sword.
The Iraqi, named as Karim Friad, was pounced on by police as he brandished the nine-inch blade near the building's gates in the capital, Bucharest.
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Romania's SRI intelligence service are understood to have had the suspect under surveillance for days after he entered the country, according to The Sun.
Sources told the paper his mission was to kill British or American officials.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed the incident to MailOnline, saying: 'We can confirm an individual was detained by the Romanian intelligence service.
'This matter is now for the SRI. We would like to thank the Romanian authorities for their help.'
The man was watched earlier near the US embassy in Bucharest but appears to have been put off by the layers of security round the complex.
He headed for the less secure British compound yesterday morning but was arrested by undercover SRI agents the moment he posed a threat to staff. |