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Heathrow detention under Act
Far-right activist Tommy Robinson says he was stopped at Heathrow Airport on Saturday evening and detained under counter-terrorism laws, with police seizing his phones after he returned to Britain from Russia via Turkey.
“Tommy Robinson says he was stopped at Heathrow by police Far-right activist Tommy Robinson says he was stopped at Heathrow Airport under counter terrorism laws and had his phones seized on Saturday evening”
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, said on X: "My phone was confiscated by the police," and he urged supporters to help start his legal defense fund.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said a man in his 40s was stopped at around 17:00 on Saturday under the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, was interviewed, and his communication devices were seized before he was released.
The BBC reported that Robinson had previously been stopped at the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone while driving a friend's silver Bentley to Spain, and that he refused to give officers the Pin to his phone during that stop.
The BBC also said Robinson posted a video on X earlier in the week showing him meeting Elon Musk's father in Moscow.
Robinson disputes motive
Robinson claimed the detention was an attack on free speech and investigative journalism, with a spokesperson for him posting on X: "This is an attack on free speech, this is an attack on investigative journalism, nothing more nothing less."
The Independent said Robinson claimed he was detained for almost three hours and that both of his phones were seized, including his iPhone and Samsung Galaxy.
The Independent further quoted Robinson’s spokesperson saying police likely wanted to see who he was talking to and maybe find out who his sources are, framing the seizure as part of a broader effort to control information.
The BBC reported that the reason for the detention was not stated in the police statement beyond the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 stop, question, search and detention framework.
Firstpost added that it was unclear exactly why Robinson was detained under counter-terrorism charges, while noting that the Metropolitian police had yet to comment on the matter.
Northern Ireland unrest context
The detention came after a week of online posts linked to Northern Ireland unrest, which the sources describe as following a video that circulated showing a brutal knife attack in Belfast.
“A UK activist says police held him for three hours and confiscated his phone after online posts linked to Northern Ireland unrest”
The Independent said Robinson shared a graphic video of a Sudanese suspect wielding a knife over a man during an attempted murder on Monday, and it said a man from Sudan has been charged with attempted murder.
The Independent also reported that Robinson repeatedly posted on X about unfolding disorder, including that "foreign businesses are being destroyed in Belfast" and that homes suspected of housing asylum seekers "are getting trashed by angry locals".
In Northern Ireland, the Al Sharq للأخبار account described thousands of protesters in Belfast on Saturday condemning anti-migrant rioting, after police charged a 30-year-old Sudanese asylum seeker with attempted murder.
That same source said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the stabbing incident in north Belfast on Monday evening as a 'disgusting' attack, and it quoted Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill saying: 'There is no excuse or justification for these attacks tonight... burning of families’ homes by masked groups is nothing but vile cowardice.'
