Senior British Army officer charged 'after trying to take grenade through busy UK airport'

A British Army serviceman has been charged with taking a decommissioned grenade done Edinburgh Airport successful October, with the incidental forcing the weaponry squad to sojourn Scotland's busiest airport

A elder British Army serviceman has been accused of attempting to instrumentality a grenade done a engaged UK airport.

Lt Col Hugo Clark was stopped astatine Edinburgh Airport connected October 16 aft a weaponry squad was called to the tract and a decommissioned manus grenade was found. After a squad entered the tract they identified the point arsenic a dummy grenade which is utilized successful grooming according to reports. It was assessed arsenic being "non-viable and posing nary threat".

The serviceman was released from custody astatine the clip and volition look earlier a tribunal astatine a aboriginal date. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 08:05 connected Wednesday October 16, constabulary were called by information astatine Edinburgh Airport aft a decommissioned ordnance instrumentality was recovered during scanning of a passenger's manus luggage. A 54-year-old antheral was arrested and charged successful transportation and released connected an undertaking to look successful tribunal astatine a aboriginal date."

An Army spokesperson added: "A work idiosyncratic was progressive successful a information incidental astatine Edinburgh Airport connected 16 October. As the substance is the taxable of ongoing ineligible proceedings we won't remark further." The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has been approached for comment, the BBC reports.

Last week, portion of Gatwick Airport was emptied arsenic portion of a wide evacuation erstwhile the weaponry squad was called, causing agelong delays for travellers. Police were called to the UK's 2nd biggest airdrome aft a “suspected prohibited item” was recovered successful luggage. Sussex Police said a “security cordon has been enactment successful place” wrong the southbound terminal of the UK’s 2nd busiest airport.

A ample portion of the gathering has been evacuated. Around 100,000 passengers expected to question done the airdrome connected Friday, but galore missed their flights. Travellers flying from the southbound terminal were incapable to check-in since the commencement of the incident.

Sussex Police said successful a statement: “Police were called to the southbound terminal astatine Gatwick Airport astatine 8.20am connected Friday pursuing the find of a suspected prohibited point successful luggage. To guarantee the information of the public, unit and different airdrome users, a information cordon has been enactment successful spot whilst the substance is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) squad is being deployed to the airport. This is causing important disruption and immoderate roads astir the southbound terminal person been closed. We’d counsel the nationalist to debar the country wherever possible.”

Some flights departed from the southbound terminal since the evacuation, meaning immoderate passengers whitethorn person been incapable to board. A British Airways formation to Cancun, Mexico, departed astatine 11.16am, 26 minutes down schedule. Several British Airways departures were delayed by astatine slightest 1 hr and 40 minutes, including to Orlando, USA; Funchal, Portugal; and Tenerife, Spain. Spanish bearer Vueling ordered an inbound formation from each of Barcelona and Seville to crook astir and instrumentality to their starting airports.