Man arrested for climbing Buckingham Palace fence

The man from Croydon, South London, was spotted on CCTV cameras early on Tuesday morning. He was later taken into custordy at a central London police station on suspicion of "trespassing on a protected site."

According to authorities, the 22-year-old had been drinking but was not armed. He was detained without using stun guns at around 4:15 a.m. local time (0315 UTC).

"The man, who had been drinking, did not gain access to the palace," police said in a statement. "The man is in custody at a central London police station. The breach is not believed to be terrorism-related."

The queen was not at the palace at the time of the incident and is currently at Balmoral Castle - her residence in the Scottish Highlands.

Not the first

Several intruders have breached security at the Queen's London residence over the years - including convicted murderer Denis Hennessy who scaled a wall in May while the monarch was at home.

Hennessy, who was released from prison in 2002 after serving his murder sentence, repeatedly asked "Is Ma'am in?" as he was arrested.

He was handed a four-month prison sentence earlier this summer over the security breach.

ksb/msh (AFP, AP, dpa)