21 people pepper-sprayed in Heathrow Airport suitcase robbery incident

Police arrested a 31-year-old man at London airport on Sunday following a robbery in which 21 people, including a 3-year-old child, were pepper-sprayed and required medical treatment, authorities said.

The Metropolitan Police said the morning incident took place in Heathrow Airport’s car park when a group of four men stole a woman’s luggage in a lift and sprayed her with an irritating substance.

“A woman’s bag was stolen by a group of four people who sprayed a substance thought to be pepper spray towards her,” Commander Peter Stevens said in a statement, adding that the passengers in the elevator and the surrounding area were also affected.

Police said the suspects escaped from the elevator after the incident. According to the Associated Press (AP) report, based on an eyewitness, these people turned out to be three young men dressed entirely in black and with their heads covered.

“THE TRAGEDY WAS PREVENTED” AT ATLANTA AIRPORT BY ARRESTING A PERSON WITH AN AR-15 FOR ALLEGEDLY THREATENING TO “SHOT”

The video shows a group of police officers rushing to the scene of the attack, visibly carrying large firearms as they stroll through the multi-storey car park.

The victims and suspects knew each other and investigators are not treating the incident as a terrorism-related incident, authorities said.

“At this stage, we believe the incident involved a group of people who knew each other, an argument escalated and resulted in a number of people being injured,” Stevens said.

CONVICT CRIMINAL FEDERALLY CHARGED AFTER THREATENING ATLANTA AIRPORT WHILE ARMED WITH AN AR-15 RIFLE

An emergency vehicle outside Heathrow Terminal 3. (Andrew Matthews/PA Images)

“We do not see this incident as terrorism,” he said. “I understand the public’s concerns and I would like to thank those in the region for their cooperation this morning.”

The 31-year-old is being held on suspicion of assault and authorities are searching for other suspects who escaped, authorities said.

Police officers look down from the upper level of the Heathrow Airport car park as they search for suspects in a pepper spray attack. (Tom Bate/Reuters)

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Ambulance teams attended to the injured at the scene and took 5 people to the hospital. According to officials, the injuries are not life-threatening.

The incident caused hours of travel delays for passengers arriving and departing the airport, AP reported, but operations have since returned to normal, according to a post from the airport on X.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Metropolitan Police and Heathrow Airport for more information.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.