LONDON (AP) — London police are urgently investigating how armed protection officers guarding Mayor Sadiq Khan left a bag of guns outside his home.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement late Friday that five officers had been removed from front-line duties while inquiries were being carried out.
The weapons cache, which according to The Sun newspaper included an MP5 semiautomatic Heckler & Koch carbine, a Glock pistol, Taser and ammunition, were found in south London Tuesday by a couple, who then informed the Metropolitan Police.
Scaffolder Jordan Griffiths told the newspaper that his girlfriend found the bag by the curbside and said that he was in “shock” after discovering what was inside.
“I could not believe my eyes and took some pictures as proof of what we had found," he said. “I called the police and told them what I had found and within a few minutes they turned up to collect the guns."
The police Directorate of Professional Standards is reviewing what happened and confirmed that five officers have been removed from front-line duties.
“We are urgently reviewing the circumstances of this incident and recognize the concern it may cause," it said in a statement. “At this stage it is believed the bag was misplaced by on-duty officers a short time before the member of the public located it."
A spokesperson for the mayor said the police "must now take all steps to ensure an incident like this never occurs again.”
FILE - Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks during an interview in London, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
PHOENIX (AP) — Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma’s coaching rivalry has had something for everyone on and off the court. It reached a dramatic peak Friday night, and the heated exchange between them stirred all the elements that make their matchups must-see TV.
Auriemma said it started at the beginning of the game, but the ending is what everyone will talk about.
A visibly upset Auriemma went over to Staley in the waning seconds of South Carolina's 62-48 victory over his UConn team in the Final Four and appeared to chastise her before the two shook hands. Staley responded with “don't do that" while assistant coaches from both teams separated them.
Auriemma later said the exchange was about the lack of a traditional pregame handshake between the coaches. Staley said she was confused.
“I have no idea,” Staley said when asked what happened. “But I’m going to let you know this: I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn’t know. I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand.
“I don’t know what he came with after the game, but, hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on.”
The Gamecocks will play UCLA in their third straight title game on Sunday, but not everyone was willing to move on from the exchange so quickly.
Auriemma immediately left the court without shaking hands when the game ended, and the moment quickly spread on social media.
Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, a former Olympic teammate of Staley, posted on X: “It’s a real shame that #Geno took the low road! We have all had to lose with class! Geno of the @UConnWBB needs to start with an apology!!!”
There were no apologies Friday night, but Auriemma explained why he was frustrated.
“For 41 years I’ve been coaching and, I don’t know, 25 Final Fours,” Auriemma said. “The protocol is before the game you meet at halfcourt. Anybody see that before? Two coaches meet at halfcourt and they shake hands, correct? Ever see it? They announce it on the loudspeaker.
“I waited there for like three minutes. So it is what it is.”
Auriemma and Staley have been the gold standard in women's basketball for years, and their battle for supremacy has produced some of the most thrilling moments in women's college basketball over the last decade.
They've coached some of the greatest talent in the game. They have a combined 15 national championships and nearly 2,000 wins with their respective programs, and their teams have faced each other 15 times.
Despite the intensity on the court, Staley and Auriemma have typically exchanged public pleasantries, complimenting each others' successes and importance to the women's game. They sparked conversations in 2023 when Staley defended her team after Auriemma criticized the Gamecocks' physicality — but their rivalry had never boiled over in the way it did on Friday.
Auriemma ripped the officiating in the third after the Gamecocks were not whistled for a foul in the quarter. He continued to voice his displeasure with how Staley spoke to the refs in his postgame news conference.
“I’m of the opinion that if I ever talk to an official like that, I would get tossed,” he said. “So I just want to make sure there’s not a double standard, that some people are allowed to talk to officials like that and other people are not. That’s it.”
Staley did not want to talk about the exchange in her postgame news conference.
“You can ask Geno the question,” she said. “He’s the one that initiated the conversation. I don’t want what happened there to dampen what we were able to accomplish today.”
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, right, yells at UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, left, after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
