Matt Dunham/Reuters
British authorities have reportedly foiled an assassination plot against Prime Minister Theresa May with the arrest of two men last week. The suspects, detained in raids in London and Birmingham, allegedly planned to use a bomb to blow off the gates of Downing Street and then attack May, Sky News reported, citing sources. Andrew Parker, the head of MI5, is said to have briefed ministers this week on the alleged plot. The Metropolitan Police confirmed in a statement that it had arrested two men for allegedly planning “acts of terrorism” but stopped short of linking the arrests to the prime minister. The two suspects, identified as Naa’imur Zakariyah Rahman and Mohammed Aqib Imran, are due to appear in court Wednesday. The news comes after MI5 announced this week it had thwarted nine planned terror attacks in the U.K. this year.