A man carrying two kitchen knives through a staff search area at London’s Gatwick Airport was Tasered and arrested by police early Monday morning.
Officers arrested the 30-year-old man at 1:55 a.m. in the South Terminal on suspicion of possessing offensive weapons and making threats to kill after “openly carrying a kitchen knife in each hand.”
Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw from Sussex Police said the incident was “dealt with swiftly and no members of the public or police were harmed.”
Police added that the man, who was not a “traveling passenger,” remains in police custody after a Taser was used to detain him.
The incident is not being treated as terrorism-related.
In December last year, Gatwick, the UK’s second-busiest airport, was heavily disrupted by drone sightings. The drone incursion, which police described at the time as a “deliberate act,” caused travel chaos for thousands of passengers.
Police have since said it could have been an “inside job.” In a statement in April, Sussex Police said that, based on the behavior of the drone, it is possible the pilot had either first-hand knowledge of the “airport operating environment,” or access to that information.
