Police assessing video made by intruder held at Queen’s castle

British police said Monday they were assessing a video purportedly made by a man who tried to break into a castle where Queen Elizabeth II was spending Christmas in which he said he wanted to kill her.

In the video, obtained by The Sun tabloid, a masked figure in a dark hoodie holding a crossbow claims he will "attempt to assassinate Elizabeth, Queen of the Royal Family".

The video was shared on the social media platform Snapchat, around 24 minutes before a suspect was detained early on Christmas Day by armed police within the grounds of Windsor Castle, west of London.

The 19-year-old arrested is being held for mental health treatment, after officers recovered a crossbow during the brief security breach, according to London´s Metropolitan police.

"Following the man´s arrest, detectives are assessing the contents of a video," the force said Monday.

It has said security processes were triggered "within moments" of the man entering the castle grounds at around 0830 GMT Saturday and that he did not enter any buildings.

The incident occurred as the Queen spent a low-key Christmas Day there with her eldest son and heir to the throne Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.