November 14, 2015
The North Terminal of London's Gatwick Airport was evacuated Saturday morning after a "suspicious article" was found in a man's luggage, officials said.
Hundreds of people were evacuated in what police described as a decision "for the protection of the public," according to The Independent.
#gatwick_airport North Terminal evacuation pic.twitter.com/Qe2ecFR03h
— Tim Unwin (@TimUnwin) November 14, 2015
Witnesses at the airport said armed police arrested a man believed to have a gun in his bag, but a spokesperson for Sussex Police would not confirm the source of the security alert.
Tim Unwin, a geography professor at the University of London said the evacuation shortly before 10 a.m. local time. The terminal's first floor was closed and a check-in relocated to a different section of the airport.
The evacuation comes amid heightened fears following Friday's deadly Paris terrorist attacks that left at least 127 people dead. The United Kingdom has escalated security efforts to protect against potential threats.
