Close Call: Teenager Tries To Grab Olympic Torch From Runner [Video]

A 17-year-old male lunged out of the crowd this morning in England and tried to snatch the Olympic Torch from relay runner Anna Skora, the torchbearer. He was swarmed by security instantly.

According to London’s Daily Mail, the teenager allegedly shouted “‘Allahu Akbar” (“God is Great” in Arabic) as he tried to grab the torch.

Somehow he evaded a detail of police officers surrounding the torch to get that close in the first place. One of the officers fortunately went to the aid of Skora and the torch immediately, and you can see in the video below that he guided her to the other side of the crowed road. No one was injured.

The Daily Mail has more:

Ms Skora managed to keep the torch upright throughout the ordeal and she continued to smile as she completed her stretch of the Olympic flame relay.

The incident happened as the torch was being taken into Gravesend on Friday morning.

Ms Skora was able to keep hold of the torch as the youth tried to wrestle it from her grasp, and security and police officers stepped in to protect the torch bearer and bundle away the youth.

There are many security concerns about the London Olympics involving possible acts of terror but most focus on when the Games officially begin rather than the ceremonial torch run. The U.K. is calling up additional military troops to provide further security for the massive event.

According to The Sun of London, “The Metropolitan Police has a 70-strong team working in shifts to protect the Olympic flame as it travels across the UK and Channel Islands.”

The suspect is being held by Kent police.

Watch the attempted Torch grab below: