London: Landmarks locked down in 2005

LONDON, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- British authorities say Buckingham Palace, Parliament and New Scotland Yard were locked down in 2005 when police found a bomb-making factory in London.

In an unprecedented move, no one was allowed to leave or enter those landmark areas for an hour-and-a-half on July 12, 2005 -- just days after Islamic extremists bombed London's transit system, killing 52 commuters and injuring 700, The Sun reported Monday.

At an inquest Monday, Peter Clarke, head of London's anti-terrorist squad, said the lockdown was called when police discovered a bomb-making factory in Leeds and an abandoned car owned by the suspects at Luton railway station, the Sun reported.

Clarke testified at the inquest into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, a Brazilian whom London police shot to death July 22, 2005, after mistaking him for a terrorist suspect.