HEATHROW: A car park robbery turns into a full-blown airport emergency
If you’ve ever felt that Heathrow’s Terminal 3 car park was a little too chaotic on a normal day, Sunday morning took things to an entirely new level. A woman was robbed of her suitcase inside a lift at Heathrow’s Terminal 3 car park. The attackers deployed what police believe was pepper spray — leaving 21 people injured, including a three-year-old child. Armed police and emergency crews were forced to lock down parts of the airport precinct.
Passengers caught in the middle of it, were alarmed. The incident occurred just after 8 am London time, with travellers reporting a sudden burning in their throats and coughing fits as the irritant spread through the lift and into the surrounding area. Five people were taken to hospital, but none with life-threatening injuries. One suspect, a 31-year-old man, had been arrested. Police are still searching for the remaining members of the group.
Travel meltdown beyond the incident zone
Chaos unfolded as access roads into Heathrow were seized up, with emergency vehicles swarming Terminal 3. Many passengers were stuck in unmoving queues of taxis and private cars. Shuttle buses were delayed or diverted, and more than a few flyers missed their departure time.
Heathrow, famously rigid with its schedules, didn’t hold flights for passengers delayed by the shutdown. The only exception was if the delayed party was the crew. Airport authorities urged travellers to abandon their cars and switch to public transport. Congestion remained severe well into the afternoon. Heathrow warned the knock-on effect of the closures would continue long after the pepper spray had cleared. An increased police presence stayed in place throughout the day to reassure passengers, although a greeting by squads of armed officers is not the most calming start to a holiday.
Police say it’s not terrorism
Police have described the attack as an isolated incident involving people known to each other rather than the public, not terrorism-related.
Travellers caught up in the incident have described a tense few minutes before the scale of the situation became clear. One passenger, Tom Bate, told the BBC he saw “young men dressed in black darting through the crowd” just moments before he felt a burning sensation at the back of his throat. He admitted he initially feared a terror attack, describing the moment as “pretty intense” before learning the true cause.
Fire crews, ambulance teams and armed police remained on-site as investigations progressed and the car park was secured. Police continue to appeal for witnesses as they track the remaining suspects.
Heathrow Terminal 3 Airlines
Terminal 3 handles the following major airlines:
- Virgin Atlantic (long-haul home base)
- Delta Air Lines
- Emirates
- Qantas (London–Singapore–Sydney)
- Finnair
- Japan Airlines
- Cathay Pacific
- Singapore Airlines (some departures)
- American Airlines
Advice for travellers heading through Heathrow
For travellers heading through Heathrow in the next few days, it’s worth preparing for a stronger police presence and allowing extra time for pick-ups and drop-offs around Terminal 3, where traffic may still be recovering. Public transport may prove the safer bet until things settle down.
Airport operations are largely back to normal. These events are a sharp reminder that even the landside parts of an airport can deliver unexpected disruption.
2PAXfly Takeout
My sympathies are with the attacked women. Being confronted in a lift would be a very frightening experience, especially with the combined anxiety and elation of holiday travel.
It is a damning comment on modern society that all such incidents have to account for the possibility of a mass terrorist event.
Yep, I’m shaking my head at the appalling nature of this incident.
What did you say?