One man has been arrested, and further suspects are being traced, after 21 people needed medical attention following a “pepper spray” incident at London’s Heathrow Airport.
Officers were called at 8.11am on Sunday to a multi-storey car park at Terminal 3 following reports of multiple people being assaulted, said the Metropolitan Police.
A statement from the force said: “Armed officers responded to the incident and arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of assault, within nine minutes of the report coming in.
“He remains in custody and enquiries remain ongoing to locate further suspects.”
What we know so far:
• Police say a group of four men “robbed a woman of her suitcase” in a car park lift
• They sprayed a substance believed to be pepper spray in her direction
• People in the lift and the surrounding area were impacted
• Those directly involved are “known to each other”
• A total of 21 people were treated at the scene, including a three-year-old
• Passengers faced delays and difficulties accessing the airport
• Most of the disruption has now cleared
Met Police Commander Peter Stevens said on Sunday afternoon that the force believes “a woman was robbed of her suitcase by a group of four men, who sprayed a substance believed to be pepper spray in her direction”.
“This occurred within a car park lift, with those in the lift and surrounding area affected by the spray,” he continued.
Heathrow Airport live: Woman targeted in suitcase robbery before ‘pepper spray’ incident, police say
Heathrow Airport’s £33bn third runway plan chosen by government
Jansen ready for take-off as next chairman of Heathrow Airport
“Our officers are working to determine the full circumstances around what happened but we do believe this to be an isolated incident with those directly involved known to each other.”
London Ambulance Service attended the scene and treated 21 people, including a three-year-old girl. Five people were taken to hospital. Their injuries are not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening.
There was some disruption to traffic in the area and Terminal 3 remains open.
Eyewitness describes ‘absolutely terrifying’ ordeal
Witness Tom Bate told Sky’s Matt Barbet that he saw three “young men, dressed in black with their heads covered” suddenly bolt from the elevator area.
That’s when “people started coughing”, he said. “Suddenly… everyone in the room was coughing, including me, and there was a burning in my throat.
“It was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever experienced.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Mr Bate was in the multi-storey car park at Terminal 3, having just landed from Dallas, Texas.
As he was leaving the car park, he saw “10-20 armed police officers” run in.
“The [police] did, in fact, point their gun at someone and order him to the ground and detain him,” he said. “And they got me out of the vehicle to ID the person.”
Mr Bate described the incident as “pretty intense” and “absolutely terrifying”.
‘Significant incident’
The London Ambulance Service said a “significant incident” was declared and there was a “full deployment” of resources. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said it was also called to the incident.
Heathrow advised passengers to allow extra time when travelling to the airport and to check with their airline for any queries.
Some passengers said they were forced to wait three hours for a shuttle bus to the long-stay car park after their flight. The service usually runs every 15 minutes.
Bottles of water were handed out by staff to people waiting for buses from Terminal 3.
There was disruption to train and Tube services, with some delays on the Elizabeth Line and the Piccadilly Line, but all lines are now operating normally.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Traffic also piled up at the M4 junction for the airport but this has since cleared.
People on social media said vehicles were being searched at the airport.
A user on X said there was a “major backlog of cars unable to leave the vicinity or enter the drop-off zone” at Terminal 3.
In footage on X, several armed police were seen in a car park.
