Man arrested after people sprayed with pepper spray at Heathrow

"A man has been arrested on suspicion of assault after a number of people were sprayed with what is believed to be pepper spray at a Heathrow Airport car park, police said. A group of people who knew each other were involved in an argument which escalated and resulted in people being injured, police said, with other suspects being searched for. Twenty-one people were treated for injuries with five of those taken to hospital. The Metropolitan Police said it was an isolated incident and was not being treated as terrorism or protest-related. Earlier in the day trains were delayed and the car park was closed due to the incident but it reopened by 11:30 GMT. Police and emergency services were called at 08:11 to the multi-storey car park at Terminal 3."

"Tom Bate was waiting for a lift in the Terminal 3 car park when he saw "young men dressed in black darting through the crowd" before going through a side door. "As soon as they left people started coughing, and then I started to cough," he told the BBC. "I felt a burning at the back of my throat." Driving out of the car park, he said he saw police arriving. "It was an amazing thing to see the police running to danger," 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.""

"Fin Fraser, who flew into Heathrow from the US on Sunday morning, told the BBC he saw "armed police running around and checking people's vehicles" as he was attempting to leave the car park. "When they came to ours, they knocked on our window and told us to wind it down and then they looked inside the car." Describing it as a "surreal experience," he added: "It felt like I was in a James Bond movie"."

An arrest was made on suspicion of assault after people were sprayed with suspected pepper spray in the Terminal 3 multi-storey car park at Heathrow. The incident involved a group who knew each other and an argument that escalated, and additional suspects were being sought. Twenty-one people received treatment for injuries, with five taken to hospital. Police treated the incident as isolated and not linked to terrorism or protest. The car park briefly closed and rail services were disrupted, with the car park reopening by 11:30 GMT. Emergency services were called at 08:11.

Read at www.bbc.com