London’s Gatwick Airport Terminal Closed Following Arrest

February 13, 2003

London’s Gatwick Airport Terminal Closed Following Arrest
The Gatwick Airport in London closed its north terminal today following the arrest of a Venezuelan man found with an explosive weapon in his luggage.

According to CNN.com, Gatwick’s north terminal, the central British Airways carrier, was evacuated and remains closed. British police scoured the terminal and built roadblocks outside the airport. Incoming flights are being diverted to the south terminal, which is operating as scheduled. Outgoing departures are also continuing from the south terminal today.

The 37-year old man was arrested after a live grenade was found inside his luggage. The man was later taken into custody under Britain’s Terrorism Act and transferred to Metropolitan Police.

The Gatwick Airport is London’s second busiest and the sixth busiest international airport in the world, with nearly 40 million passengers traveling through per day.

To learn more on this story, visit CNN.com.