A man has been arrested following attempts of self-immolation outside the BBC’s offices in London.
The 36-year-old male – who is yet to be named – was seen pouring petrol over his body, whilst shouting, outside the broadcaster’s offices in Portland Place.
Police were called to the scene at around 9am on Wednesday morning, with the man in question being held by security guards until officers arrived.
Workers from the building helped to ease the threat as they covered any potential harmful substance with sand.
Tweets circulated around social networking site Twitter, as many commented and reported on the situation as it happened.
https://twitter.com/TherealNihal/status/608551139789914113
Nihal Arthanayake of the BBC Asian Network tweeted as the events unfolded near Oxford Circus.
https://twitter.com/GabbyButtaci/status/608559618017652736
Another member of the corporation, Gabby Buttaci of BBC 1Xtra, also aired her concerns.
Many have described the stunt as a protest, but there has been little indication as to what the message may have been.
Despite the initial worry, the building was not evacuated, and normal service resumed on the road after 12:15PM.
Two packages were also found at the scene, however, following examination, they were found to be non-suspicious.