Travellers arriving at London's Heathrow Airport faced hours of disruption and distressing scenes on Sunday morning after a suspected pepper spray attack in a Terminal 3 car park.
Chaotic Scenes and Multiple Injuries
Armed police officers were called to the airport's multi-storey car park at Terminal 3 at 8.11am on Sunday 7 December 2025 following reports of an assault. They discovered a number of people who had been sprayed with an irritant, believed by the Metropolitan Police to be a form of pepper spray.
The London Ambulance Service attended the scene and confirmed they treated 21 patients. Of those, five were taken to hospital for further care. Authorities have stated the injuries are not thought to be life-threatening or life-changing.
Passengers Left Stranded for Hours
The incident caused severe knock-on effects for airport operations. Dozens of passengers were left waiting for hours at bus stops for shuttle services to long-stay car parks and other destinations.
One family, who chose to remain anonymous, reported waiting for three hours after their flight landed around the time of the incident. Heathrow staff attempted to manage the situation by handing out bottled water to those stranded in the afternoon.
The disruption also spread to the Heathrow Terminal 2/3 rail station, where overcrowding led to significant queues.
Police Investigation and Public Reassurance
One man remains in custody after being arrested in connection with the alleged assault. Officers are continuing their search for other suspects involved.
Commander Peter Stevens of the Metropolitan Police moved to reassure the public, stating: "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." He confirmed that the incident is not being treated as terrorism and promised an increased police presence at the airport throughout the day.
Witness Tom Bate described seeing "young men dressed in black darting through the crowd" before feeling a burning sensation in his throat. "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," he told the BBC.
Policing minister Sarah Jones thanked the emergency services for their rapid response and urged anyone with information to come forward. The police have asked witnesses to call 101, quoting reference CAD 1803 7 DEC.
