Heathrow airport terminal chaos after several people 'pepper sprayed'
Heathrow Airport is facing major disruption this morning after armed police, paramedics and fire crews were called to a serious incident at Terminal 3.The Heathrow Tunnels were temporarily closed and several Underground services suspended as parts of the airport went into lockdown. Images posted on social media showed the Terminal 3 drop-off area cordoned off and surrounded by emergency vehicles.Police said officers were called at 8.11am to the multi-storey car park at Terminal 3 following reports that several people had been assaulted. A group of men allegedly sprayed what is believed to be a form of pepper spray before leaving the scene.Armed response officers attended and one man was arrested on suspicion of assault. He remains in custody, while enquiries are ongoing to trace additional suspects. Witnesses told MyLondon that an individual had “sprayed an unknown gas”, prompting the significant emergency response.The London Ambulance Service confirmed that multiple victims were taken to hospital, though their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing. Terminal 3 remains open, but police said some traffic disruption continues.Commander Peter Stevens said: “At this stage, we believe the incident involved a group of people known to each other, with an argument escalating and resulting in a number of people being injured.“Our officers responded quickly and there will be an increased police presence at Heathrow Airport throughout the morning, to continue enquiries and ensure the safety of those in the area. We are not treating this incident as terrorism.”He thanked the public for their cooperation and urged anyone with information to call 101, quoting CAD 1803 7 DEC.A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Our teams are responding to an incident with the emergency services in the multi-storey car park in Terminal 3. We will provide updates shortly.”The London Fire Brigade confirmed it was called at 8.14am to support other emergency services and said firefighters remain at the scene.Rail services to Heathrow were also disrupted. National Rail said lines had reopened after emergency services completed their response, but warned delays of up to 10 minutes and cancellations were expected until 11.45am as services resumed.
