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SHANNON AIRPORT CLOSED for a time this evening following a security breach where a van attempted to enter the airport.
Three people have been detained after they left the van stuck in a ditch and they ran onto a taxiway. The incident is understood to have occurred at around 6.20pm.
The incident resulted in some inbound flights being placed in holding patterns until operations could resume.
A group calling itself Palestine Action Éire has claimed credit for the incident. In a statement tonight, it said it took the action in protest over the use of the US military using the airport for “active warzones in the Middle East, including Israel and
Yemen”.
It is believed that a white van crossed a grass area on the main road into the airport and crashed through the perimeter fence.
A spokesperson for the Shannon Airport Group said that it had “suspended operations for about an hour and that a number of flights were delayed as a result of the incident.
“Shannon Airport has resumed normal operations following an incident which required gardaí assistance,” the airport group’s spokesperson said.
“The airport suspended operations at 6.30pm and a number of flights were delayed as a result. The situation was promptly addressed by gardaí and operations fully resumed at 7.30pm.”
It is understood that a number of people wearing orange jump suits, hard hats and scarves over their faces then entered the airport’s ‘air side’ area. They ran in the direction of a taxiway before were detected and quickly apprehended.
Airport police officers responded to the scene from both airside and landside directions while Gardaí were also alerted and requested to attend.
While the front of the van managed to breach the security fence by several feet, it was prevented from making it any further by a trench that runs inside the barrier.
It’s thought that three persons then climbed out of the van and ran towards a taxiway. Once the breach was detected, flight operations were suspended.
A security source said overtime has been cut at the airport and that gardaí are likely to respond to the incident by increasing numbers at the location.
This would be similar to levels seen in the mid 2000s amid protests against the US over its war in Iraq, security sources said.
A spokesperson for the Garda Press Office said: “Gardaí are currently at the scene of an ongoing incident at Shannon Airport in Co. Clare. No further details are available at this time.”
With reporting by Niall O’Connor and Eoghan Dalton
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Great to see all the musicians come out in support of Kneecap. Keep up the protest.
@Ciaran Mcguinness: I used to think exploiting the troubles, kneecapping etc to sell music was wrong but then I realized they are just Harry Enfield characters. Enjoy them for that. Think more Kevin the teenager. They don’t really support Hezbollah. They aren’t really pro torture, anti gay, anti West. It’s all so unfair – as Kevin might say.
@Del Ray: I don’t agree with all they say; only with their right to say it. I’ve heard worse at gigs in the past.
Absolute gôbshïtes, bill them for all the disruption they caused.
@Regular John: Far left violence. It should be called what it is.
@Regular John: well its basically a terrorist act against an airport so charge them with terrorism
That will keep the trolls busy on here for the night
comment’s are open for this , more not stories to deflect from fffg disastrous governing
@jn: We know the Govt fund left wing activists for a whole range of issues, put paying them to gatecrash Shannon Airport is a bit of a stretch.
Charge them as terrorists.
@Andrew Harrington: Ten years in jail would seem appropriate and then be deported to Gaza
Lefty dopes
Violent, childish leftists.
@Ekumbe Adesiyan: As opposed to extremely violent right wing government’s such as Israel or The U.S
@Ekumbe Adesiyan: says the guy with a huge gripe against same sex attraction ..that’s pretty childish
They are very violent its crazy.
@Darran Macken: I know, that poor fence! Won’t somebody think of the children!!
Good job announcing that security resources were cut at Shannon airport jic anymore terrorist wish to attack.
People who go around doing the whole Palestine thing, are usually bored and just want an excuse for something to protest about.
Morons
@liam mc meel: Far left violent morons
Is free speech really free. Right on protesters!
And what did this protest succeed in doing?
So we can comment on this but not the “Journal Investigates” piece about transgender healthcare?? That piece of so-called journalism should come with a health warning of its own. An entirely one-sided piece of cr4p which makes no effort to provide any form of journalistic balance. It reads like a junior cert essay and should be marked as an Opinion article rather than “Investigates”. A perfect example of why The Journal is and will remain a free newspaper. Nobody in their right mind would pay for such reporting.
“We crashed the gate doing 98 and said let them truckers roll”
These geniuses at Shannon and Kneecap , it shows that these Leftards don’t have much going on between the ears.
Should be a deep trench around it like dublin airport years ago.
Great article on 2 infrastructure projects in Meath/kildare granted planning permission. It does not mention once what those projects entail, only waffle about “Renewable energy is fundamental in unlocking greater energy independence and security, as well as economic growth and the development of a stronger society,” Mahon continued.” One can only guess it’s using agricultural land that would be best purposed for food production, to be used for solar panels that will have less of a sustainable impact. When they don’t mention what’s involved you know it’s not good. There thousands upon thousands of acres of car parks and industrial buildings that can easily accommodate solar panels, but those planners insist on unnecessarily using agricultural land.
@Jack: Ireland is overproducing meat anyway. 50% of it could be replaced by something useful.
we,ll give them a house in case someone’s offended …..
Meer to me Shannon, Snip, Snip Mr Burgess. The Van. Great movie.
Charge them under anti terrorism Law.
@Ed Brennan: totally agree and into the special criminal court with no jury
Next step is a van filled with explosives.
Prob hippie Brit smelly fk s on the dole. Remove their welfare
I do not condone this form of protest, as much as I suport the Palestine people.
Please jail them. No need for a trial and throw away the key??
Lots of comments on here about left-wing this and left-wing that when the truth is that the only lefties Ireland has ever had followed James Connelly into GPO and never came out again.
have your say