UK police make 2 more arrests in Heathrow Airport pepper spray attack

London, Dec 8 (PTI) The UK police investigating a Heathrow Airport incident that resulted in 21 people sustaining minor injuries in a pepper spray attack over the weekend made two further arrests on Monday.

The Metropolitan Police said a 24-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of robbery and assault, and a 23-year-old woman, held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit robbery, remain in custody.

A 31-year-old man arrested on suspicion of robbery and assault close to the scene of the incident on Sunday has since been released “under investigation”, while the police investigation continues.

“An investigation was launched which has established that, prior to the assault, two women were robbed of their suitcases after getting out of the car park lift," the Met Police said in a statement.

“During the robbery, the men sprayed a substance believed to be pepper spray in the direction of the women. This substance affected those in the vicinity, causing minor injuries," the police said.

The arrests follow what was later described as an assault and robbery at the west London airport's Terminal 3 multi-storey car park. Police said they were called to the scene at 08:11 hours (local time) on Sunday following reports of “a number of people injured by a noxious substance”.

London Ambulance Service treated 21 people, five of whom were taken to a nearby hospital and have since been discharged.

The incident, which caused major travel disruption, was quickly ruled out as terrorism even as armed police rushed to Heathrow Airport.

"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,” Commander Peter Stevens of the Met Police said on Sunday.

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

The police force have renewed their appeal for information that could assist their inquiries. PTI AK SCY SCY