Armed police descended on Heathrow Airport on Sunday morning following a reported pepper spray assault in a multi-storey car park, leading to one arrest and multiple people being taken to hospital.
Incident Details and Police Response
The Metropolitan Police were called at 8.11am on Sunday 7 December 2025 to the car park at Terminal 3 after receiving reports of multiple assaults. According to a police statement, a group of men sprayed a number of people with a substance believed to be pepper spray before fleeing the scene.
Officers, including armed units, attended promptly. One man was arrested on suspicion of assault and remains in police custody. Authorities are continuing their enquiries to trace further suspects.
Commander Peter Stevens sought 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.
Emergency Services and Travel Disruption
The London Ambulance Service declared a "significant incident" and deployed resources fully. Victims were transported to hospital, with injuries described as not life-threatening or life-changing.
The incident caused considerable travel disruption in the area during the morning:
- Terminal 3 remained open, but passengers were advised to allow extra travel time.
- The Elizabeth Line and Piccadilly Line services experienced delays.
- National Rail reported cancellations and delays of up to 10 minutes until around 11.45am after lines near the airport were temporarily closed.
- The southbound M4 spur road towards Heathrow was closed for a period but has since reopened.
The London Fire Brigade was also in attendance, with firefighters remaining at the scene to assist other emergency services.
Ongoing Investigation and Airport Operations
Commander Stevens confirmed there would be an increased police presence at Heathrow throughout the morning to continue enquiries and ensure public safety. He thanked those in the area for their cooperation.
Social media footage showed armed police officers in the car park, and users reported a major backlog of vehicles and that cars were being searched. Despite the morning's events, airport operations at Terminal 3 continued.
The Metropolitan Police investigation is ongoing as they work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the assault and locate any outstanding suspects.
