Man arrested after people sprayed with pepper spray at Heathrow

Man arrested after people sprayed with pepper spray at Heathrow

Police have arrested a man on suspicion of assault after several individuals were reportedly sprayed with what is believed to be pepper spray in a car park at Heathrow Airport, according to authorities. The incident began as a dispute among a group who were acquainted with each other, which escalated and resulted in multiple injuries. Police are continuing their search for additional suspects connected to the altercation.

In total, twenty-one people received medical treatment following the incident, with five requiring hospital admission. The Metropolitan Police described the episode as isolated and confirmed that it is not linked to terrorism or any protest activity. Earlier on the same day, train services experienced delays and the affected car park was temporarily closed, although it reopened by 11:30 GMT.

Emergency teams and police responded promptly after being alerted at 08:11 to the multi-storey car park located at Terminal 3. An eyewitness, Tom Bate, who was outside the terminal waiting for a ride, recalled seeing young men dressed in black moving quickly through the crowd before entering a side door. “As soon as they left people started coughing, and then I started to cough,” he told the BBC, adding that he felt a burning sensation in the back of his throat. Observing the arrival of police, he noted, “It was an amazing thing to see the police running to danger… it felt like I was in the middle of an attack – it was pretty intense.”

Video shared on social media captured a significant armed police presence along with fire engines and officers searching a handcuffed individual. Another witness, Fin Fraser who arrived at Heathrow from the US that morning, described seeing armed police officers inspecting vehicles in the car park. He recounted, “When they came to ours, they knocked on our window and told us to wind it down and then they looked inside the car,” adding that the situation felt “like I was in a James Bond movie.”

The incident caused disruption to rail services, with the Heathrow Express and sections of the Elizabeth Line suspended during the emergency response before resuming later in the morning. Heathrow Airport advised passengers to allow extra travel time and recommended using public transport due to road congestion following the event. Some travelers had experienced extended waits for shuttle buses at Terminal 3; one family told PA news agency they had been waiting three hours for a shuttle to the long-stay car park, despite shuttle services usually operating every 15 minutes. Airport staff were observed handing out bottles of water to those waiting during the delay

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