Two drunken Britons were arrested Sunday for trying to break into the Imperial Palace by swimming across the surrounding moat half-naked, palace police said Monday.

Louis Collin, 25, and Joe Burdon, 24, were found climbing the palace's stone wall in only their underwear, after apparently swimming in the moat near Sakurada Gate.

Police arrested the two men for trespassing at around 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

The two, who claim they are tourists, told police that they wanted to take pictures inside the palace, according to an official from the Imperial Guard Headquarters.

They had placed their clothes and a digital camera in a bucket, the official said.