Police patrol outside of the US Embassy in London, Britain, 07 November 2020. EPA-EFE/ANDY RAIN 
"We can confirm that the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers," London's Metropolitan Police said on X.
"Enquiries are still ongoing and cordons will remain in place for the time being."
The police force said in an earlier statement that they were investigating a suspect package and had put up cordons in the area south of the River Thames, adding that they were aware of speculation online regarding the incident.
The US embassy said on X that the police had closed a road near the building out of "an abundance of caution".
(Reporting by Catarina Demony, writing by Sarah Young, editing by Sachin Ravikumar and Kate Holton)