Man arrested over cyber attack that grounded flights at Heathrow and across Europe

A man has been arrested in relation to the cyber attack which crippled operations at Heathrow Airport and other European transport hubs.

The man, in his 40s, was detained in West Sussex, the National Crime Agency said, on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offenses and has been released on conditional bail, the National Crime Agency said.

Deputy Director Paul Foster, head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, said: ‘Although this arrest is a positive step, the investigation into this incident is in its early stages and remains ongoing.

‘Cybercrime is a persistent global threat that continues to cause significant disruption to the UK. Alongside our partners here and overseas, the NCA is committed to reducing that threat in order to protect the British public.’

Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin airports experienced delays and disruption this weekend after a ‘technical issue’ affected Collins Aerospace, which works for several airlines at multiple airports.

The disruption began on Friday night and continued throughout Saturday, with flights cancelled or delayed as impacted airlines were forced to carry out check-in operations manually.

Passengers due to fly from Heathrow Terminal 4 said they were met with queues, delays and confusion as to whether they’d be able to make their planned trips.

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