A man who was detained by police after trying to touch Queen Elizabeth II's coffin has disclosed the reason why he did it.
Muhammad Khan, 28, allegedly left the queue in Westminster Hall on Friday (September 16) night while the late monarch was lying-in-state. Footage appears to show him rushing toward the late monarch's coffin, before being tackled to the ground by guards and police.
He was then carried out of Westminster Hall and arrested.
Check out footage from the live stream below:Following Khan's arrest, he appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday (September 20) and was charged with two counts under Section 4A in the Public Order Act.
The court heard that the man intended to trespass at several royal residences including Buckingham Palace, to confirm whether the late Queen died.
According to the Evening Standard, prosecutor Luke Staton described the events that transpired from the prestige hall to the courtroom.
Staton said that the man was among the 250,000 people who queued between 5:00PM on Wednesday (September 14) until early Monday (September 19) morning to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
"The defendant had reached Westminster Hall. He was then seen by officers, who were present, to approach the coffin," he said. "He stepped off the carpet in the direction of the catafalque, then grabbed hold of the Royal Standard flag draped over the coffin with both of his hands."
Staton revealed that the defendant approached the late Queen's coffin because he wanted to "express the idea that the Queen is not dead" and said he was also planning on going to her funeral.
Also, Khan allegedly claimed to the court that he planned to "write" to the Royal Family and if he did not hear back, he "planned to trespass at royal residences" to "find and speak" to the late Queen.
"I would have to trespass in order to try and make contact," he said, adding that he would try for "as long as [he is] living".
Michael Snow, the District Judge, told Khan that he was "delusional" for his reasons, as well as for thinking that King Charles II had anything to do with the longest reigning monarch's death.
"At the time when you were in Westminster, you didn't accept that the Queen was dead and that was the reason you were moving towards the coffin to satisfy yourself that she was," Snow said, as per the Daily Mail.
"He is delusional still and thinks the Queen is not dead, thinks King Charles has something to do with it and may go to Windsor Castle to pay his respects but also because he still thinks she is alive," he added.
The judge granted Khan bail on the condition that he remains in an east London mental health hospital until his next court appearance on October 18.
