A gang caused mass panic at London’s Heathrow Airport on Sunday morning after they sprayed an elevator full of people with pepper spray as they robbed a woman of her suitcase in a parking garage connected to the airport’s Terminal 3.
The Metropolitan Police initially confirmed that a 31-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of assault in connection with the incident, but it is now believed that four men were involved in the robbery.
26 people were injured in the early morning incident, including a three-year-old child. Five of the injured had to be rushed to a local hospital by the London Ambulance Service, although the Met Police said in a statement that their injuries are “not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening.”
The incident unfolded at around 8:00 am on December 7 when police received a call about a group of people being assaulted in the multi-story parking garage at Terminal 3.
“Our team have been working at pace today to review CCTV from the area and speak with witnesses at the scene,” commented Commander Peter Stevens from the Met Police.
“At this stage, it’s understood that 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.”
Commander Stevens continued: “This occurred within a car park lift, with those in the lift and the surrounding area affected by the spray.”
Emergency services rushed to the scene as Heathrow Airport warned of potential disruption due to the huge multi-agency response, which involved access to the central terminal area being shut off and trains to and from central London being put on hold.
The police were, however, quick to rule out terrorism.
“We appreciate that this has been a concerning incident,” Commander Stevens added. “I commend the actions of the emergency services and members of staff at Heathrow Airport.”
Hours after the incident, Heathrow Airport said in a message on its official X account that “Operations are running as normal at this time. Thank you for your patience whilst we worked to resolve these issues.”
The London Ambulance Service was the first to be called to the incident, with an emergency call being placed to their control room at around 8:04 am. This was then followed by a call to the Met Police at 8:11 am, who scrambled armed officers.
A few minutes later, the London Fire Brigade was also dispatched to the scene, with most of the response stood down at around 11 am.
The incident will no doubt to little to quell accusations of ‘lawless Britain,’ although the Met Police says that they believe the incident involved a group of people who were known to one another.
The man who was arrested remains in custody, and investigations to identify and arrest the four remaining suspects continue.
