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1st Ld Writethru: London's Heathrow airport suspends flights over security issue

Xinhua, May 5, 2017 Adjust font size:

Departures from Terminal 3 of London's Heathrow airport were briefly suspended Friday morning over a security issue, said the airport.

The terminal handles international flights to a number of destinations, including Shanghai, Hong Kong, the U.S. and Canada, Australia and the Middle East.

A number of flights were cancelled due to a security issue, with London's Metropolitan Police saying they were working with Heathrow after a report of a suspicious item detected by X-ray in an item of luggage.

Passengers waiting in the terminal took to social media to report long queues, as they waited for details of the situation.

Heathrow said on its social media platform: "The safety and security of our passengers and colleagues is paramount."

Flights resumed once the alert was over.

The Evening Standard in London said flights from Heathrow Airport were suspended in the morning after a suspicious item was found in luggage, sparking chaos for travelers.

The newspaper reported: "A witness at the airport has claimed the alert was started when a man tried to run through security after his bag was searched."

A photograph was printed showing a police officer on board one of the planes at the airport, with departures suspended "for a short time".

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said: "Police were called at approximately 8 a.m. on Friday, May 5 to Heathrow Terminal 3, following a report of a suspicious item detected by an x-ray of luggage."

An official spokeswoman at Heathrow said: "Departures were suspended for a short time from Terminal 3 due to a security issue. We are very sorry to any passengers whose journeys are affected. The safety and security of our passengers and colleagues is paramount."

The alert came just hours after the Metropolitan Police in London announced its counter-terrorism officers had arrested a 30-year-old man Thursday night after he arrived at Heathrow on a flight from Turkey.

The man continued to be questioned by police on Friday on suspicion of preparing for terrorist acts and terrorist training. Endit