Us Embassy Bomb Threat Device Was 'graffiti Art', Court Hears - Beritaja

A man has denied making a explosive hoax threat extracurricular the US Embassy successful London - and claimed a clone instrumentality was "sophisticated graffiti art", a tribunal was told.

Daniel Parmenter, 44, is connected proceedings astatine the Old Bailey, accused of making a explosive hoax connected 22 November past year.

The US Embassy, successful Nine Elms, southbound London, went into lockdown, and explosive disposal experts carried retired a controlled explosion, aft a container containing wires and an iPad was near outside, the tribunal heard.

Mr Parmenter has denied intending to origin alarm. He claimed successful a general constabulary question and reply that it was an "art installation", the tribunal was told.

Opening his proceedings connected Monday, charismatic Lucy Organ told really Mr Parmenter had near the suspicious point successful an alleyway by the embassy about 6am.

A civilian embassy defender noticed what she thought looked for illustration a explosive connected a regular patrol, and "panicked". Ms Organ said. The defender raised the alarm.

Jurors were told a constabulary serviceman connected work astatine the embassy walked down the alleyway and saw a number of objects, including photograph frames and a metallic tray pinch a skull and crossbones connected it.

Ms Organ said: "Next to each of this connected the level adjacent to the wall was what appeared to beryllium an IED (improvised explosive device), it was an old-style iPad pinch a cardinal pad and firework wires each taped."

There was besides a container of dates marked for the attraction of the US Navy pinch the words "do not X-ray, please inspect. Radiation. Hazard".

Mr Parmenter was identified pursuing an introspection of CCTV from the area. He was arrested astatine the location he shares pinch his mother, wearing the aforesaid chapeau and jumper he had connected successful the CCTV footage, 2 days later.

On being arrested connected suspicion of planting a instrumentality astatine the US Embassy, the suspect replied "I did" moreover earlier the serviceman had vanished speaking, the tribunal was told.

Mr Parmenter denied meaning immoderate harm, saying: "It is fundamentally a shape of somewhat blase graffiti creation of the non-vandal type."

The defendant's basement flat, described arsenic a "hoarder's property", was searched, and constabulary recovered what appeared to beryllium a transverse betwixt a petrol explosive and a tube explosive astatine the property, the tribunal heard.

Explosives officers wished that it was not a viable device.

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Ms Organ told jurors that the suspect did not contradict leaving the objects connected the perimeter wall of the US Embassy.

The rumor successful the proceedings would beryllium whether Parmenter intended others to judge the instrumentality was apt to detonate aliases ignite, and origin individual wounded aliases harm to property, she said.

Mr Parmenter, of Kildare Terrace, Bayswater, westbound London, has denied making a explosive hoax.

The proceedings continues.