Bomb disposal team sent to London Gatwick airport after terminal evacuated

Police opportunity a ‘suspected prohibited item’ was discovered successful luggage successful nan facility’s southbound terminal.

An explosives disposal squad has been sent to London’s Gatwick Airport aft a “suspected prohibited item” was discovered successful luggage, constabulary said, aft a terminal was evacuated.

Sussex constabulary said connected Friday that a information cordon would stay successful spot astir nan airport’s southbound terminal and nan explosive ordnance disposal squad (EOD) was deployed “as a precaution”.

Gatwick Airport, nan 2nd busiest successful Britain, evacuated a ample portion of nan terminal successful what it called a “security incident”.

Passengers were besides being prevented from entering nan building, airdrome authorities posted connected societal media level X.

Police said location was important postulation disruption successful nan area and advised group to debar it.

Passenger Laurens Cook told Al Jazeera from Gatwick that location was “pandemonium successful nan aerial and everyone was rushing” erstwhile group were asked to clear out.

“We were moved to our departure gross and are sitting present waiting pinch nary accusation connected if our formation will return disconnected aliases not. We person nary thought erstwhile we are going to time off … cipher has disembarked from planes either,” Cook said.

The airdrome is located 48km (30 miles) southbound of London.

In a abstracted incident connected Friday, constabulary said they had carried retired a controlled detonation aft “a suspicious package” was recovered extracurricular nan United States embassy successful London.

The Metropolitan Police conducted nan detonation aft mounting up cordons adjacent nan high-security tract successful Nine Elms, conscionable southbound of nan River Thames.

“We tin corroborate that nan ‘loud bang’ reported successful nan area a short clip agone was a controlled detonation carried retired by officers,” constabulary said successful a station connected X.

“Enquiries are still ongoing and cordons will stay successful spot for nan clip being.”

The US embassy said that section authorities were investigating “a suspicious package” extracurricular nan building and that constabulary had closed a adjacent roadworthy “out of an abundance of caution”.

Source

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Al Jazeera and news agencies