Queen Elizabeth II Targeted By Armed Man Who Wanted To See Her

Queen Elizabeth II was targeted by another armed man, who was arrested while carrying a kitchen knife outside Buckingham Palace. David Belmar, 44, was tackled to the ground by police after he jumped over a vehicle barrier.

Belmar admitted to trespassing and possession of a bladed weapons when he appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court, where the court also heard he has a long history of mental health issues.

Yahoo! News reports that a judge remanded Belmar into custody and he will be sentenced at a later time. Prosecutor Edward Aydin told the court, “In police custody he said to police, ‘I wanted to see the queen. I’m not happy about my benefits. He’s a danger to the public, carrying a knife in central London, and he is a danger to the queen.”

Belmar isn’t the first man to try and break into Buckingham Palace to speak with Queen Elizabeth II. Michael Fagan, who was unemployed at the time, snuck into Buckingham Palace in 1982 and visited with the queen for about 10 minutes, speaking with her until guards were alerted.

TODAY notes that the prosecution alleged Belmar has a fixation with Queen Elizabeth II and received a caution in 1989 for lighting fireworks and throwing them onto the grounds of Buckingham Palace.

However, defense lawyer Robert Katz denied Belmar’s fixation with the queen. Instead he claimed the 44-year-old was on incapacity benefit for 10 years until it was stopped in September after an assessment. Katz added, “He became very upset by that decision and he didn’t know how he was going to cope.”

Belmar’s arrest also came after a series of security issues at the palace, including a man who scaled a fence in September to get into the palace. He was arrested on charges of burglary.

Thankfully, the past two incidents have happened while Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t at the palace.

[Image via ShutterStock]