Pepper spray at London Heathrow Airport: suspects detained, thousands of passengers stranded.

According to ТСН: At London Heathrow Airport, in the multi-storey car park near Terminal 3, a group of men sprayed pepper spray. People began to cough and felt a sharp burning sensation in their throats. Armed police quickly arrived at the scene, detaining the suspects. This incident caused serious access difficulties to the terminals and also affected public transport and parking.

Official comments

Minister for Policing and Crime Sarah Jones urged local residents to 'follow police advice' after the incident. She also noted that she is receiving 'regular updates' on the situation.

'My thoughts are with all those affected, and I express my sincere gratitude to the emergency services for their swift response and prompt detention of the suspects.'

Impact on passengers

According to travel journalist Simon Calder, the incident occurred during a 'particularly busy time.' Terminal 3 serves flights by airlines such as Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, and Qantas. Preliminary estimates suggested that around 120,000 passengers were set to depart from terminals 2 and 3, but access to these terminals was impeded for at least an hour.

Calder also noted that flights typically do not wait for passengers in such situations, and delays occur only when crews also get caught in the traffic. Rights concerning passengers in such cases are not clearly defined, however, airlines try to reroute such passengers to the next available flights.

Condition of passengers

People trying to depart from Terminal 3 are complaining that they are waiting for shuttles to long-term parking for several hours, although they usually run every 15 minutes. Airport staff are providing passengers with water.

Situation at stations

Previously, reports mentioned large crowds at the station serving terminals 2 and 3, but currently, the flows have become even, and trains are arriving without delays.

'I felt a burning pain in my throat,' said one eyewitness.

Passenger Tom Bates noted that he thought he was witnessing an attack when he saw a group of young people in black running through the crowd. After this, people began to cough.

'I also started coughing and felt a strong burning in my throat,' he added.

Later he saw a large number of police arriving at the parking lot, and according to preliminary reports, several people were sprayed with pepper spray.

Traffic jams and transport organization

Police stopped people trying to reach the terminals on foot through the car tunnels, as only vehicle traffic is allowed there. Some passengers attempted to flag down occupied taxis. Emergency services reported that they would organize buses for passengers.

According to eyewitnesses, flights are operating on schedule, but the multi-storey car park was closed for over two hours, causing delays for those returning to their vehicles.

It is also worth noting that Vilnius International Airport was previously forced to suspend operations due to airspace hazards, related to objects resembling balloons launched from Belarus.

This incident at Heathrow Airport underscores the importance of safety in public places such as international transport hubs. While the situation seems to be under control, such incidents raise concerns among passengers and could have serious implications for airport operations in the future.