Armed Police don’t kill airport terror suspect

There was a full scale Terror alert at Manchester Airport at 8.30 am today. A smartly-dressed, dark-haired man managed to breach the security barrier to get on to the apron near Stand 26 of terminal 2, where incoming flights from the US arrive. Airport sources said suspicions were aroused at 8.30am when an unknown vehicle parked outside the security fence.

Security officials attempted to apprehend the driver, but he slipped through the fence and ran towards the airport chased by the police and security staff and was caught 200m inside the fence 60 metres from the nearest aircraft.

There was a brief struggle, and the Taser gun was used when the man resisted arrest and he was arrested and bundled into the back of a van.

An amateur photographer and plane spotter, 61 year old Ken Friar, 61 said

"I saw a man in a suit carrying a case and walking on the apron between terminal one and terminal two. Suddenly two police vehicles drove up and the man tried to dart between them”.

"There was a bit of a scuffle. One of the policeman held him down and another either kicked or threw the suitcase away.

"More police arrived and there was another tussle."

A police spokeswoman confirmed the suspect had been arrested under the Terrorism Act and was being questioned. Subsequently he has been held under the Mental Health Act, a controlled explosion by a hastily summoned bomb squad revealed the man’s clothing and his passport, but no bomb or weapons.

All flights from Terminals One and Two were cancelled while bomb disposal experts assessed the situation. An airport spokeswoman said at 11.15am that flights were once again taking off and advised people to turn up as normal.

Manchester Airport has a unique structure and is wholly publicly owned by the ten Metropolitan Boroughs of Greater Manchester. The city owns 55% and the remaining 9 Boroughs 5% each, they also own Bournemouth, Nottingham East Midlands, and Humberside airports. They are the second biggest airport operator after BAA in the UK. They are the most rapacious money grubbing management who practise the worst forms of bonus ridden fat cat management riding, poorly resourced and poorly paid staff. (Security Audit post advertised starting at £13K)

In February 2002 the Manchester Evening News M.E.N. reported how guns and fake explosives passed unchecked through X-ray monitors and ended up in the hold of a plane in an authorised test. As a result Transport and General Workers' union chief Bill Morris wrote to Transport Minister Stephen Byers.

His letter coincided with threats of industrial action by security staff over cutbacks. A dispute which was based upon plans to cut 150 jobs and slash 40 per cent from wages in security. A strike was held for several hours (see pics)

''Security at the airport is a shambles,'' said Mr Morris. ''As a result of the airport board's approach it is clear cut-price security results in cut-price safety.

At the time Airport spokeswoman Ms. Sally Sykes described as ''completely disingenuous'' union claims that the most recent security breach was the result of cost-cutting and blamed “ a breakdown in procedure.”… whatever that means. (Our Sally has just finished 12 minths as NW chairman of the Institute of Public Relations she spent 6 years at Manchester Airport and can now be found hustling the truth for Astra Zeneca)

In September 2004 the BBC’s Whistleblower series, journalist Michelle spent ten weeks undercover at the airport and claimed that working as aviation security officer, Department for Transport rules on bag searches were flouted. Planes left open and unattended overnight and that staff knowingly used faulty metal detectors. The film showed a metal detector failing to sound when a knife and gun were passed through it as part of a test. A 2nd detector in the area was tested with a large pair of scissors and also failed to go off on a number of occasions.

"This one was not shut down and staff continued to allow approaching passengers through security using the unreliable machine."

It was alleged that Security team leaders tipped off colleagues by phone about covert Department of Trade inspectors, with details of their physical descriptions.

An airport spokesman said: "We take any allegations of shortcomings extremely seriously and any breaches in procedure are rectified immediately."

Today, a smug, beaming Assistant Chief Constable Steve Thomas of GMP told the Press “ a determined intruder can easily scale the perimeter fence”….

Paradoxically security procedures recently cost the airport over breaches of the Data Protection Act.

A man who had a picture taken of him at Manchester Airport without his consent has agreed an out of court settlement of £4,000 with the airport. Tim Hedgley had his photograph while passing through airport security when travelling on a domestic flight. His picture was used to ensure he did not buy duty-free goods and to check his identity at the gate.

The photograph was taken without his permission and was therefore a breach of the Data Protection Act. He agreed to receive agreed an out of court settlement of £4,000 with the airport.

The Data Protection Act imposes strict obligations on holders of personal data.

No personal data is available on the arrested man.