A man has been detained under the Mental Health Act after he was seen carrying a knife near a synagogue.

Police were called to Bell Lane, Hendon at 11.20am on Saturday after hearing reports of a man wielding a knife.

The man who was reportedly walking around with bare feet and a bare chest was taken to a north London hospital after being detained under the Mental Health Act.

No one was injured and the incident is not being treated as a terror-related incident.

Rumours at the time suggested he had tried to enter a synagogue armed with two knives but this was later ruled out.

Police have confirmed that his actions were not motivated by politics or anti-Semitism.