A number of people were injured on Sunday after a suspected pepper spray attack took place at Heathrow airport.
Passengers faced severe disruption at the major transport hub, as armed police descended on the airport’s Terminal 3 multi-storey car park at around 8:11am.
Police understand the incident began after a woman was robbed of her suitcase in the car park lift by a group of four men, who sprayed the substance, believed to be pepper spray, in her direction.
A three-year-old child was among the 21 people were also injured in the incident.
Police have said a 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault, but are not treating the incident as terror related.
Here is everything we know about the incident:
What happened?
The incident unfolded at around 8am on Sunday morning, in the multi-storey car park directly opposite the check-in area for Terminal 3.
Police understand the incident began after a woman was robbed of her suitcase in the car park lift by a group of four men, who sprayed a substance, believed to be pepper spray, in her direction
Witness Tom Bate said he had been waiting to be picked up from the car park when he saw “young men dressed in black darting through the crowd”.
He said he felt a burning at the back of his throat after they left, with other people nearby beginning to cough.
“I’m so glad to hear now that it’s not terrorism because it felt like I was in the middle of an attack – it was pretty intense,” Mr Bate told the BBC.
Who was injured?
21 people including a three-year-old girl were injured in the attack, the London Ambulance Service said.
Five people were taken to hospital as a result, but police said their injuries are not thought to be life-changing or life-threatening.
Has anyone been arrested?
A man, aged 31, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault and remains in custody. Officers were still tracing further suspects on Sunday.
The Met Police said it was believed to be an isolated incident, with those directly involved believed to be known to each other.
The incident is not believed to be related to terrorism or protest, police added.
How were passengers affected?
The incident prompted travel chaos as trains and buses to the airport were halted and routes into the airport’s central area were temporarily closed.
Travellers were advised to allow extra time, while holidaymakers later reported being stranded for hours at the airport’s bus stops.
By midday, dozens of passengers were waiting at the terminal’s bus stop for shuttles to the long-stay car park and elsewhere. One family, who did not wish to be named, said they had waited for three hours at the bus stop after their flight landed at around 8am.
Heathrow staff handed out bottled water to waiting passengers on Sunday afternoon. Rail passengers at Heathrow Terminal 2/3 station also faced long queues amid overcrowding.
At least 17 trains serving Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 were cancelled – or ran through without stopping.
Terminal 3 is used by Virgin Atlantic, Delta, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and many other major carriers. British Airways has a presence at the terminal as well as its main base, Terminal 5.
Terminal 3 remains open on Monday and is now operating as normal.
