Glasgow International Airport reopened; arrests made and houses searched

July 1, 2007

On July 1, 2007 Glasgow International Airport began to reopen after a car was driven into the airport by terrorists, with flights from Orlando and Ibiza arriving during the day. By the end of the day, the airport was reported to be operating largely as usual, but passengers continued to be advised to confirm their flights with operators before coming to the airport. Tight security precautions remain in force across UK airports today, although most flights are operating as normal.

Several houses have been searched in the area of Renfrewshire in Neuk Crescent, Houston, Scotland. Five arrests have been made following the incident in Glasgow: two in Glasgow, Scotland, two on the M6 motorway in Cheshire, and one in Liverpool (England). The police are continuing house searches and inquiries throughout the country, including in Merseyside and Staffordshire, with one suspect identified to "still be at large".

Sky News reports that two of the arrested men are doctors, working in British hospitals.

A suspicious car has undergone a controlled explosion outside the Royal Alexandra Hospital, to which a suspect of the attack at the airport had been taken for treatment as a result of burns. A 200 m cordon was set up around the hospital as a precautionary measure, with ambulances being turned away from the accident and emergency department. Police have stated that they believe that the suspicious vehicle was connected to the earlier attack at Glasgow International Airport, but that they do not believe it to have contained any explosives.

During a press conference Strathclyde police revealed that they believe the two men had been living in Renfrew for at least six weeks prior to the attacks of yesterday. The green Cherokee jeep is "possibly" a second hand, rather than stolen, car with registration L808 RDT. Questions were raised during the conference concerning whether the USA had, as had been reported in certain circles, published a report predicting that there may be an attack on Glasgow Airport. This was not confirmed and considered as speculation. The police issued an appeal for any details about sightings of the vehicle prior to the event.