~*Belle 2003*~
<font color=navy>I used to be indecisive, but now
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- Jan 6, 2003
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Gatwick Airport is one of the UK's main airports, It is one of the busiest British airports for transatlantic flights to Orlando.
GATWICK SHUT AFTER MAN FOUND WITH GRENADE
AOL News: Blair warns Iraq over missile system
GATWICK Airport's North Terminal has been closed and evacuated after a man was found carrying a hand grenade.
The 37-year-old Venezuelan national was arrested under the Terrorism Act.
The suspect had arrived at around 2.30pm on a British Airways flight from Colombia in south America, via Bridgetown, Barbados.
The live grenade was allegedly discovered in his hand luggage.
The suspect is being questioned at a west London police station, along with two other men arrested earlier near Heathrow Airport.
Home secretary David Blunkett said the grenade discovery proved that Britain had security problems.
But he stressed that the suspect could be merely a "lone individual" - and that the public should not "jump to conclusions".
BA will now face a major inquiry into how the man managed to board one of its aircraft carrying live ammunition.
The Gatwick closure, at around 3pm on Thursday, meant the cancellation or suspension of dozens of flights.
And many passengers were left stranded for hours on planes that were unable to take off.
Incoming flights were allowed to continue - with passengers being bussed directly from their planes to the South Terminal.
The North Terminal is principally used by BA for long-haul flights.
The South Terminal is not affected by the security scare and is said to be operating normally.
Unlike Heathrow, there is no military presence at the Sussex airport.
However extra police have been drafted in. They are currently patrolling Gatwick's perimeter buildings and flight gates.
Meanwhile an access road at Stansted Airport will be closed to the public on Friday for unspecified reasons.
The pair arrested near Heathrow were held in Hounslow, near the airport perimeter fence.
The two men were apparently in a vehicle, but police did not say what led to their arrests.
Light tanks deployed at Heathrow for the last two days were not in evidence on Thursday.
But there appeared to be an increase in the number of spot-checks on vehicles near the airport.
In one village along the flight path west of Heathrow, virtually every car was being stopped.
According to reports, the general alert was sparked by "high-quality'' intelligence that Islamic extremists had smuggled Sam-7 anti-aircraft missiles into Britain from Europe.
Police refused to comment on the reports, which said the intelligence was the most specific information of an imminent threat since the September 11 attacks.
GATWICK SHUT AFTER MAN FOUND WITH GRENADE
AOL News: Blair warns Iraq over missile system
GATWICK Airport's North Terminal has been closed and evacuated after a man was found carrying a hand grenade.
The 37-year-old Venezuelan national was arrested under the Terrorism Act.
The suspect had arrived at around 2.30pm on a British Airways flight from Colombia in south America, via Bridgetown, Barbados.
The live grenade was allegedly discovered in his hand luggage.
The suspect is being questioned at a west London police station, along with two other men arrested earlier near Heathrow Airport.
Home secretary David Blunkett said the grenade discovery proved that Britain had security problems.
But he stressed that the suspect could be merely a "lone individual" - and that the public should not "jump to conclusions".
BA will now face a major inquiry into how the man managed to board one of its aircraft carrying live ammunition.
The Gatwick closure, at around 3pm on Thursday, meant the cancellation or suspension of dozens of flights.
And many passengers were left stranded for hours on planes that were unable to take off.
Incoming flights were allowed to continue - with passengers being bussed directly from their planes to the South Terminal.
The North Terminal is principally used by BA for long-haul flights.
The South Terminal is not affected by the security scare and is said to be operating normally.
Unlike Heathrow, there is no military presence at the Sussex airport.
However extra police have been drafted in. They are currently patrolling Gatwick's perimeter buildings and flight gates.
Meanwhile an access road at Stansted Airport will be closed to the public on Friday for unspecified reasons.
The pair arrested near Heathrow were held in Hounslow, near the airport perimeter fence.
The two men were apparently in a vehicle, but police did not say what led to their arrests.
Light tanks deployed at Heathrow for the last two days were not in evidence on Thursday.
But there appeared to be an increase in the number of spot-checks on vehicles near the airport.
In one village along the flight path west of Heathrow, virtually every car was being stopped.
According to reports, the general alert was sparked by "high-quality'' intelligence that Islamic extremists had smuggled Sam-7 anti-aircraft missiles into Britain from Europe.
Police refused to comment on the reports, which said the intelligence was the most specific information of an imminent threat since the September 11 attacks.
