Shannon, Co. Clare – Three individuals—two men and one woman, all aged in their 20s—were arrested this morning after a van breached a security barrier and gained access to an unauthorised area of Shannon Airport, leading to a temporary suspension of operations.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:30 am, when the van is understood to have entered the airfield through the main security post located near the airport’s fire station.
Interception at Taxiway
The vehicle is believed to have travelled onto a taxiway where a US C40 aircraft was parked. The C40 is a military variant of the Boeing 737 jet, frequently used by the U.S. armed forces.
The van was quickly intercepted by a joint team of security agencies, including Gardaí, armed members of the Defence Forces, and Airport Police personnel, who were already on duty in the area.
Gardaí were reportedly forced to use strong measures to gain access to the van and remove the occupants, noting that mesh wiring had been installed inside the windows of the vehicle’s cab. All three were arrested and are currently being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 in Garda Stations in Co Clare. The van was subsequently removed for a technical examination.
It is currently unclear if any damage was caused to the U.S. aircraft, though engineers were seen inspecting the plane at the scene.
Operations Halted and Claim of Responsibility
Airport operations were suspended following the breach but resumed at 10:02 am, causing a disruption of just under 30 minutes.
A spokesperson for The Shannon Airport Group confirmed the matter, stating: “Operations at Shannon Airport resumed at 10:02 am this morning following a temporary suspension of just under 30 minutes, while it addressed a security matter. The safety of passengers and staff remains our top priority.”
The activist group Palestine Action Éire has claimed responsibility for the incident, citing it as a protest against the use of the airport by the US military.
This latest breach follows similar high-profile security incidents earlier in the year, including an incident on May 1st where three people were detained after a van breached the perimeter and another incident just over two weeks later which resulted in a Garda being hospitalised after three women allegedly caused criminal damage to an aircraft.
