At Shannon Airport in western Ireland, police detained a man who reached a US Air Force aircraft and tried to damage it by climbing onto its wing. The investigation is ongoing.
Details
The Irish Examiner reported the arrest. According to the report, the man illegally entered a restricted area of Shannon Airport and likely damaged a US military aircraft. US police confirmed this information.
Authorities spotted the man on airport grounds on April 11 at around 9:45 a.m. He was near a Lockheed C-130 Hercules of the US Air Force. Investigators say the man climbed onto the wing and damaged the fuselage, likely with an axe. The fuselage is the main body of an aircraft. It connects the wings, tail, and landing gear. It also holds the crew, passengers, cargo, equipment, and sometimes engines and fuel.
Investigation details
Police detained the man at the scene. A police spokesperson said:
“An adult male (aged in his 40s) was arrested for alleged criminal damage by Gardaí shortly before 11:00am.”
The suspect is now in custody at a police station while the investigation continues.
To find out how the man reached the aircraft, airport police carried out perimeter patrols. Meanwhile, the airport temporarily stopped operations. Two flights were delayed, and one arriving aircraft was put into a holding pattern. Then, at 10:22, it received clearance to land.
A spokesperson for The Shannon Airport Group confirmed that operations returned to normal after the incident. According to him, the disruption lasted less than 30 minutes.
About the C-130 Hercules
The C-130 Hercules is a main tactical military transport aircraft in the air forces of many countries. It is also the most widely used medium transport aircraft in civil aviation. The C-130A “Hercules” can carry 92 passengers and more than 20 tons of cargo.
For the US Air Force, the Hercules is a key asset. It is used to move troops and equipment on a large scale. The US also uses the Hercules in military conflicts.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported that US special operations forces successfully evacuated both crew members of an Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over Iran on April 3. Donald Trump called the mission one of the boldest search-and-rescue operations in the country’s history.
