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Heathrow terminal evacuated after scare

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: Heathrow airport’s Terminal 4, used by several international airlines including British Airways, was evacuated on Tuesday and all flights were temporarily suspended amid a bomb scare sparked by the discovery of a suspicious bag.

With memories of last Saturday’s attempted terror attack on the Glasgow airport still fresh, people appeared nervous as they hastily made their way out of the terminal while police dealt with the bag.

The British Airport Authority said all passengers would be re-screened before being allowed to board their flights. Long delays were expected.

Police were taking no chances and immediately ordered closure of all roads leading to the terminal.

A BBA spokesperson said: “As an extra precaution, it was decided to perform secondary searches on all departing passengers at the aircraft gate. In order to facilitate the secondary search process, a decision was made by the police to partially evacuate the departure lounge and re-screen the passengers.”

Meanwhile, two persons were arrested in Blackburn, a predominantly Asian town in Lancashire. The arrests were made under terror laws, but until late in the afternoon it was not known if they were linked to the London-Glasgow plot.

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