London — Police are investigating a pepper spray assault at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 3 car park that disrupted travel and sent 21 people, including a 3-year-old girl, for medical treatment, authorities said.
The Metropolitan Police said Monday the incident appears to have stemmed from a suitcase robbery involving people known to one another, revising an earlier account that described a fight following an argument.
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Commander Peter Stevens said detectives pieced together the sequence after reviewing CCTV footage and interviewing witnesses. “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,” he said.
“Our officers are working to determine the full circumstances around what happened but we do believe this to be an isolated incident with those directly involved known to each other,” Stevens added.
Armed officers were called to the multi-storey car park shortly after 8 a.m. and arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of assault, police said. He remained in custody Monday while inquiries continued to identify and locate additional suspects.
The London Ambulance Service said 21 people received treatment, with five taken to hospital. The 3-year-old girl was treated at the scene. Police said none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.
London Fire Brigade said firefighters provided “specialist assistance” at the car park. Officials did not immediately detail the type of spray used beyond noting it is believed to be pepper spray.
Terminal 3 remained open throughout, but the incident prompted severe traffic and public transport disruption around Europe’s busiest airport, according to officials and passengers. Congestion around the terminal left some travelers stranded in vehicles and rushing to catch flights.
“We were literally stuck for an hour-and-a-half,” said Jayesh Patel, who was traveling with his family for a flight to India. “We ran to the gate, and we missed the check-in by three minutes, and we were turned away. So we’re gonna have to drive 100 miles back home.”
Police did not immediately provide information on the condition of the woman whose suitcase was taken or whether the stolen bag has been recovered. Investigators are appealing for witnesses and are expected to review additional footage from the car park and surrounding approach roads.
Authorities emphasized that while Terminal 3 operations continued, motorists and passengers should expect residual delays as traffic flows normalize and investigative work around the site concludes.
Heathrow, which handles tens of millions of passengers annually, has stepped up coordination with emergency services during the response, officials said. The airport did not immediately issue guidance beyond urging passengers to check with their airlines and allow extra travel time while the area clears.
Police urged anyone who was in the Terminal 3 car park around 8 a.m. and may have seen the confrontation to come forward. Further updates are expected as the investigation progresses.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
