Incident Disrupts Europe’s Busiest Airport
More than twenty people were injured on Sunday morning in a parking garage at London’s Heathrow Airport after a group of men stole a woman’s suitcase and sprayed victims with what police believe was pepper spray in an elevator. The attack caused significant disruption to road and public transport access to Europe’s busiest airport for hours following the incident at Terminal 3.
Swift Police Response and Arrest
According to a statement from London’s Metropolitan Police, armed officers responded and arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of assault just nine minutes after the initial report. The suspect remains in custody as investigations continue to locate other individuals involved. Police were alerted around 8:00 a.m. local time.
“We believe at this stage that a woman had her suitcase stolen by a group of four men, who sprayed a substance which appears to be pepper spray in her direction,” said Commander Peter Stevens in the statement. “This happened in a car park lift, with the spray affecting those in the lift and the immediate area.”
Victims Treated, Including Young Child
London Ambulance Service treated 21 people at the scene, including a three-year-old girl. Five individuals were transported to the hospital. Police confirmed that none of the injuries are life-threatening.
Police Treat as Isolated Incident
Commander Stevens stated that the incident is being treated as an “isolated” event, “involving people who are known to each other.” Authorities, who initially described the situation as a “dispute that escalated,” said they are not treating the attack as terrorism-related.
Major Travel Disruption
While Terminal 3 remained open, access to the airport by car and public transport was severely disrupted throughout the day. A Heathrow spokesperson confirmed that shuttle services to long-stay car parks were affected by traffic congestion after the central terminal area tunnel was closed for safety reasons following the incident.
Travelers reported waiting several hours for buses from the terminal. Passengers using Heathrow on Sunday had been advised to allow extra time for their journeys.
