Man ‘caught with crossbow said “I’m here to kill the Queen” after being arrested at Windsor Castle in hood and mask’

A MAN arrested with a loaded crossbow at Windsor Castle said: "I am here to kill the Queen", a court heard today.

Jaswant Singh Chail stormed the royal grounds wearing a hood and mask on Christmas Day last year.

He was allegedly carrying a weapon loaded with a bolt with the safety catch off and ready to fire.

A police officer said the former supermarket worker looked like someone from a vigilante movie or like he was dressed for Halloween.

Chail, 20, was held on December 25, 2021, close to the monarch's private residence, with a line of sight to her apartments.

Her Majesty was inside with son Charles and wife Camilla at the time.

Chail is said to have told a protection officer: "I am here to kill the Queen", before he was handcuffed and arrested.

Today, he appeared before Westminster Magistrates Court in London via video-link from a high-security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire charged with an offence under Section 2 of the Treason Act, possession of an offensive weapon and making threats to kill.

Wearing a dark jacket over a black top and sat at a table with his arms folded, he spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and current address at Broadmoor.

The most serious charge under the Treason Act states he "intended to injure or alarm".

A separate charge alleges Chail made "a threat intending that the other would fear that it would be carried out to kill".

And a third states he had "an offensive weapon, namely a loaded crossbow" in a public place.

The hearing heard how Chail, from Southampton, wanted revenge on the establishment.

He was not asked to enter pleas to any of the charges, and Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring remanded him in custody ahead of his next appearance at the Old Bailey on September 14.