TOMMY ROBINSON DETAINED AT HEATHROW UNDER COUNTER-TERRORISM LAWS

Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, claims he was detained by police at Heathrow airport under counter-terrorism legislation. The 43-year-old stated that both his iPhone and Samsung Galaxy mobile phone were seized during the stop, which he said lasted nearly three hours. Robinson was detained under section 3 of the Counter-Terrorism Border Security Act 2019. He shared documentation of the detention on social media and subsequently requested financial support from his followers for legal costs. The reason for his detention has not been disclosed.

Under the 2019 act, police officers may stop, question, search and detain individuals suspected of travelling with intent to plan or carry out hostile acts. Robinson has featured prominently in recent weeks following civil unrest in Southampton and Belfast. He shared video content depicting a suspected Sudanese individual with a knife during an attempted assault, alongside lists of planned demonstrations across the United Kingdom. His posts about the disorder received significant circulation after being reposted by Elon Musk to his 240 million followers on X.

Robinson was previously cleared of a terror charge in 2024 after refusing to provide his phone's security pin to officers during a stop and search at the Channel tunnel in Folkestone. A district judge determined the police stop could not be established as lawful at that time. The Metropolitan Police and Heathrow Airport have been approached for comment on the current detention.