Man armed with two knives is shot dead by police in London

Officers were patrolling near Whitehall at about 11.30pm on Sunday when they noticed a man acting suspiciously.

When challenged, he produced two knives and was shot. The incident is not related to terrorism, police said.

Forensic investigators were at the scene in Great Scotland Yard on Monday - a road that connects Whitehall and Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square.

It skirts the Department of International Trade, contains the Civil Service Club and various hotels and bars, and is about half a mile from the Metropolitan Police headquarters at New Scotland Yard.

The nearby area between Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament is the most heavily covered part of the country in terms of armed officers.

Joe Dunne, deputy manager of The Clarence pub, on the corner of Whitehall, said the incident was "not a complete surprise", given the central London location.

Mr Dunne, 39, from Brixton, south London, said staff had closed the pub around an hour before the shooting.

‘It's not a complete surprise - due to the location this can happen,’ he said.

‘It's quite rare, I haven't been around when that's happened before - this means it's fairly serious. If the police have shot someone it's fairly serious.’

Following the shooting, London Ambulance Service were called but the man was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.

Watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating, as is standard for any police shooting.