A man carrying guns has been arrested at Gatwick Airport, with police swarming the train station at the terminal.
The terminus was closed on Friday afternoon after passengers on a train to the London airport from Brighton reported a man onboard had two firearms with him.
Officers from both the British Transport Police (BTP) and Sussex Police descended on the scene, after the emergency call came in at 12.45pm.
The man was arrested when the train pulled into the airport railway station at 1.25pm, with all platforms evacuated as detectives investigated.
It was then discovered the two guns the man had with him were in fact fake, according to The Sun.
But passengers planning to travel by train to Gatwick Airport are still being urged to plan their journeys around ongoing delays.
An announcement on the airport’s official social media pages earlier this afternoon warned holidaymakers rail services were not stopping at the airport station.
It said, of the ‘ongoing incident’: ‘Passengers should check services before travelling and leave more time to complete their journey.’
The terminus was closed on Friday afternoon after passengers on a train to the London airport from Brighton reported a man onboard had two firearms with him. Pictured: File photo
Officers from both the British Transport Police (BTP) and Sussex Police descended on the scene. Pictured: File photo
The Gatwick Express, Great Western Railway, Southern and Thameslink services have all been affected, according to National Rail.
A further post to the airport’s official channels said the railway station has reopened as of 1.45pm and thanked passengers for their cooperation.
Gatwick is one of the busiest airports in the UK, with more than 100,000 passengers taking off from its sole runway every single day.
And its railway station is also one of the most chaotic in the country, handling around 60,000 holidaymakers each day.
A BTP spokesperson said: ‘We received a report at 12.45pm on February 20 of a man on board a train from Brighton with a firearm.
‘Sussex Police officers met the train at Gatwick Airport, and arrested a man in possession of two imitation firearms. BTP officers are investigating.’
A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: ‘Sussex Police detained a man on a train at 1.25pm on February 20, when it pulled into Gatwick Airport.
‘He was arrested for possession of two imitation firearms. BTP officers are investigating.’
The BTP have been contacted for comment.
This is a breaking news story – further updates to follow.
