Attentat ou accident à l'aéroport de Glasgow

Suspected terror attack closes Glasgow airport
SCOTT MCCULLOCH

An apparent car bomb attack has been attempted at Glasgow Airport's main terminal a day after police foiled a possible al Qaeda plot to detonate two car bombs in central London.

Witnesses have reported that a blazing Cherokee jeep containing two Asian-looking men appeared to ram the terminal building at high speed.

The car reportedly crashed into the main doors of the terminal, though witnesses have reported that the car struck bollards just outside the main terminal doors which stopped the vehicle entering the building.

One of the two men in the vehicle was said to have ran from the blaze with his clothes on fire.

He was restrained by passengers until police arrived.

Witnesses have told how the other occupant of the vehicle struggled with police at the scene immediately after the incident and was wrestled to the ground by officers.

The airport was immediately evacuated and all flights to and from the airport have been cancelled as a result of the incident.

There have been no reported injuries.

Taxi driver Ian Crosby was waiting outside the airports Terminal One when the incident happened.

He said the car "raced across the central reservation and went straight into the building."

Strathclyde police say told two vehicles had been involved in a collision just outside the airport at approximately 3.15pm today, and that one of the vehicles had burst into flames as a result of the accident.

They later confirmed that a car had been driven into the front of Terminal One - the main terminal of Glasgow Airport, and two people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

A Police spokesperson said: "Strathclyde Police would like to reassure the public that it is unknown at present if this is connected with the incidents in London as inquiries are at an early stage.

"However, we would ask the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police."

Eyewitness James Edgar said: "There was chaos at the airport.

"I was in the airport building trying to book a holiday. Suddenly people were running past us. Suddenly everyone said to get out of the airport.

"There were a few pops, obviously the fuel tanks would have gone, but it was as if there was maybe an accelerant in the vehicle.

Another eyewitness, Margaret Hughes said people were screaming and running towards the exit shortly after the explosion.

She said: "As soon as I left the building there was black smoke gushing out where the car had obviously been driven into the airport.

She told how one of the men suspected of being behind the attack, who had himself been on fire "seemed very composed" as he was led away by police.

Scott Leeson was at the airport awaiting the arrival of a colleague when the Jeep rammed into the terminal building.

He said: "The car came speeding past at about 30mph. It was approaching the building quickly.

"Then the driver swerved the car around so he could ram straight into the door. He must have been trying to smash straight through.

"Luckily he did not get the car too far in. He just managed to get the nose of the jeep inside.

"I spoke to an airport official who seemed to think that it was not an accident.

"He was very angry. He said the men in the car got out and started throwing petrol about - that must be how it caught fire.

Another witness has said how he saw one the men from the vehicle appeared to throw a can of petrol over himself and the vehicle.

BAA, who manage the airport were not immediately available for comment.

Glasgow Airport is Scotland's busiest national airport and the sixth busiest airport in the UK, with approximately 8.8 million passengers a year travelling through it.

This article: http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1025942007

Last updated: 30-Jun-07 17:57 BST

Un véhicule en feu percute le terminal de l'aéroport de Glasgow
LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | 30.06.07 | 17h48 • Mis à jour le 30.06.07 | 18h46

AFP/Kieran Dodds

Une voiture en feu a percuté samedi 30 juin un terminal de l'aéroport de Glasgow, ville située dans le sud de l'Ecosse, a annoncé la police. "Une voiture a pénétré à l'intérieur du terminal. Elle était en feu", a indiqué à l'AFP un porte-parole de la police de Strathclyde, précisant qu'il était trop tôt pour dire s'il s'agissait d'un attentat.



Plusieurs témoins de l'incident ont précisé que le véhicule en feu était un 4X4, une jeep Cherokee, et que deux hommes d'origine asiatique se trouvaient à bord. Un homme, dont les vêtements étaient en feu, serait sorti du véhicule avant d'être immobilisé par des passagers. Un témoin cité par la BBC indique que le conducteur du véhicule aurait apparemment essayé s'engoufrer par les portes vitrées d'entrée à l'aéroport.

"La voiture a tenté de pénétrer par la porte principale du terminal, mais des bornes de protection l'en ont empêché. Si la voiture avait pu passer, il aurait pu y avoir à l'évidence des centaines de victimes", raconte un témoin, qui se trouvait dans le terminal au moment de l'incident. Juste après l'impact, "la police et les services de sécurité luttaient avec un homme d'origine asiatique. Ils l'ont ensuite emmené", a-t-il ajouté. "Deux personnes ont été arrêtées" a confirmé un porte-parole de la police de Strathclyde.

Un autre témoin a déclaré à la chaîne de télévision Skynews que la police avait interpellé le conducteur du véhicule et que ce dernier avait tenté d'arracher une bonbonne de gaz de la voiture en feu. Cette information n'a pour l'instant pas été confirmée par la police écossaise.

L'incendie du véhicule a été éteint à l'aide d'un extincteur. Un des deux hommes à bord de véhicule serait apparemment grièvement brûlé. Aucune autre victime n'a été signalée pour l'instant. Un porte-parole de BAA, gestionnaire de l'aéroport de Glasgow, le principal aéroport international écossais, parle de "dégâts considérables". "Le terminal a été évacué et, en conséquence, tous les vols ont été suspendus", a-t-il ajouté.
Ces événements surviennent au lendemain de la découverte dans le centre de Londres de deux voitures piégées, mais les autorités, en Ecosse, se refusent pour l'instant à parler de tentative d'attentat.