A pepper spray attack during a suitcase robbery at Heathrow Airport has left 21 people injured, including a three-year-old girl. Metropolitan Police arrested a 31-year-old man within nine minutes of receiving the initial call on Sunday morning, and are hunting for three other suspects who fled the scene after the assault in Terminal 3's multi-storey car park.
The incident unfolded at 8:11am when a woman was robbed of her suitcase by four men inside a car park lift. The attackers sprayed a substance believed to be pepper spray in her direction, affecting everyone in the lift and the surrounding area. Armed officers responded immediately, making the arrest by 8:20am.
London Ambulance Service treated 21 people at the scene and transported five to hospital. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing. Among those treated was a three-year-old girl who received medical attention at the scene.
Police Investigation
Commander Peter Stevens said: «Our team have been working at pace today to review CCTV from the area and speak with witnesses at the scene. 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. This occurred within a car park lift, with those in the lift and surrounding area affected by the spray.»
He confirmed the incident is not being treated as terrorism. «We do believe this to be an isolated incident with those directly involved known to each other,» Stevens said. The Metropolitan Police are working to locate the three men who escaped.
Airport Disruption
The attack caused hours of chaos for passengers. Shuttle buses to the long-stay car park faced severe delays, with one family reporting a three-hour wait after their flight landed around 8am. Rail passengers at Heathrow Terminal 2/3 station experienced long queues and overcrowding.
A Heathrow spokesman said: «The shuttle buses to the long-stay car park were impacted by congestion on the roads following an earlier incident which saw the Central Terminal Area tunnel closed for safety reasons. The buses are now operating as normal and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.»
Airport staff distributed bottled water to stranded passengers during the disruption.
Witness Accounts
Tom Bate told the BBC he saw «young men dressed in black darting through the crowd» before people began coughing. «I felt a burning at the back of my throat,» he said.
«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,» Bate added.
Policing minister Sarah Jones said: «My thoughts are with all those affected by the incident at Heathrow this morning. My heartfelt thanks go to the emergency services for their rapid response – and the arrest made.»
Police are asking anyone with information to call 101, quoting CAD 1803 7 DEC.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
