A woman was pepper-sprayed as a gang of robbers tried to snatch her luggage in Heathrow Airport’s car park lift.
A three-year-old girl was among 21 people injured in the lift before armed police searched for the suspects going from car to car ‘like a Bond film’.
Armed officers responded to the attempted robbery and arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of assault at just after 8am on Sunday.
He remains in custody as police launched a manhunt for the other three suspects in the brazen robbery that sparked chaos at the country’s biggest airport.
Five people were taken to hospital. Their injuries are not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening.
A hooded suspect appears to be arrested at Heathrow (Picture: UKNIP)
Armed police swarm on Heathrow’s car park (Picture: UKNIP)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 added: ‘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.‘We appreciate that this has been a concerning incident and I commend the actions of the emergency services and members of staff at Heathrow Airport.’London Ambulance Service said they cared for 21 patients in total,with five of them taken to hospital before the ambulance service was stood down from the scene at 10.58am.Fin Fraser,a 21-year-old thermal engineer and football coach,told Metro it was ‘surreal’ to be trapped in his Uber for over an hour while he tried to get home to Richmond from the airport this morning.He was heading out of the multistorey car park when cars were suddenly stopped from leaving following the incident at 8.11am.‘Everything was locked off; you couldn’t get through any of the lights,and then police started running about,’ he said,estimating he was stuck in the car for over an hour,while dozens of police officers wearing ‘surgical gloves’ searched the area.
Police,ambulances and fire engines responding to Heathrow this morning (Picture: @_umarjaved)Rail and road services to the airport have now resumed,but footage he took earlier today shows the scale of the disruption,with speculation swirling that passengers had been ‘gassed’.Fin,who had just flown back to London from Charlotte in North Carolina,told Metro: ‘[Police] started to look through every vehicle,asking everyone to wind their windows down to check who was inside. ‘People who had started to get out were being shouted at to get back in their vehicles.’@metrouk Passengers travelling to Heathrow Airport faced major disruption,with trains suspended in both directions and armed police going from car to car. ‘Multiple people’ were assaulted in a multistorey car park,with police saying they were ‘sprayed with what is believed to be a form of pepper spray by a group of men who then left the scene’. A man was arrested following the incident at 8.11am,which is not thought to be terror related. #london #heathrow #uknews #ukcrime #worldnews♬ Occult/Mystery/Horror Suspense(844669) – ｍｍHe and his Uber driver were the only ones in the car,and ‘were both as shocked as each other’,with his driver comparing the situation to a Bond film. ‘They seemed to get somebody two or three cars back from me and got him out of the car – they were shouting “armed police”,’ he said.‘We saw somebody getting led down the ramp in cuffs,and then about 15 minutes from that we were allowed to get out,but even then there were police on each of the barriers looking in,and on the M4 junction.’
Traffic at a stand still heading towards Heathrow this morning (Picture: Andy Barnes/W8 media)
A passenger filmed an arrest this morning outside Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport (Picture: Fin Fraser/@_finfraser)Dr Paula Byrne,an author and Jane Austen biographer,posted a video on X of armed police searching up and down the multistorey car park,captioned: ‘My son gassed at London Heathrow’.In replies,she added she was not sure what was happening as she had been sent the video,‘but my son saw it unfold,three young men,everyone coughing,armed police everywhere.’The Heathrow Express rail service was suspended in both directions with its website warning of ‘major disruption’,while part of the Elizabeth Line connecting to the airport was also suspended,although services have now resumed.A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said: ‘The incident at the multi storey car park in Terminal 3 has now been contained by the Metropolitan Police.‘Congestion remains on surrounding roads following the incident which we are working hard to resolve as quickly as possible and we are advising passengers to use public transport.Any idea of what’s going on here at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 3 ?? We’ve been stuck here ages and no one knows what’s going on outside#london #heathrow #airport #public pic.twitter.com/znIZqMIwKt— Emmmyyy (@emmmyyy0399) December 7,2025
Travelers held at Heathrow’s Terminal 3 after train platforms were closed (Picture: Getty)‘There will be an increased police presence at Heathrow Airport to maintain the safety of people in the area and reassure the public.’Commander Peter Stevens of the Met Police said: ‘At this stage,we believe the incident involved a group of people known to each other,with an argument escalating and resulting in a number of people being injured.‘Our officers responded quickly and there will be an increased police presence at Heathrow Airport throughout the morning,to continue enquiries and ensure the safety of those in the area.‘We are not treating this incident as terrorism. I understand the public’s concerns and would like to thank those in the area for their cooperation this morning.’Victims were taken to hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening.
Another passenger also shared images online of a man being arrested at Heathrow (Picture: @_umarjaved)Road links to the UK’s biggest airport were also disrupted this morning,with congestion remaining into the afternoon though the road has reopened.National Highways posted on X: ‘A serious incident within the @HeathrowAirport Tunnel has resulted in the closure of the #M4 spur road southbound between M4 and J4A.’Heathow’s flight status page does not show major delays to departures,although there are some delays,and flights to Miami and Charlotte in the US were cancelled.A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We were called today at 8.04am to reports of an incident at Heathrow Airport.‘We sent a number of resources to the scene,and cared for 21 patients. Five patients were taken to hospital. The ambulance service was stood down from the scene at 10.58am.’A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 8.14am today to assist emergency service colleagues at an incident at a car park at Heathrow Airport.‘Firefighters have been providing specialist assistance alongside multi-agency partners at the scene. The Brigade was stood down shortly after 10.30am.’
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