Two detained by police during Gatwick Airport bomb threat released

Two people detained by police during a bomb threat at Gatwick Airport have been released. At 8.20am this morning (Friday, November 22) the south terminal was evacuated after a suspect package was found in luggage.

A bomb squad was called to the airport to make the package safe and search the rest of the airport for other explosives. During this all roads and railway routes into the airport were blocked as police set up a cordon around the area.

Denice Sealy, who was travelling to Malta for her birthday, was in the security line but was told to turn around and go outside.

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“When we got outside we didn’t know where to go because there were no staff there,” Ms Sealy said. “Eventually, we just walked along to a car park.

“With regards to passengers and communication, it’s been absolute chaos.” Ms Sealy said they were promised to be put on to a shuttle bus to the north terminal but it did not arrive.

“In the end, a load of us ended up walking from the south terminal to the north terminal, and it was freezing,” she said.

The south terminal remained shut until about 4pm this afternoon when the airport was handed back to its operator. Hundreds of flights throughout the day were delayed or cancelled due to the bomb threat and evacuation.

A Sussex Police spokesperson said: "There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the south terminal for onward travel.

"Safety of the public, staff and other airport users has been our priority throughout the operation, and we thank them for their patience while the incident was ongoing."

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