Man arrested in UK over suspected cyberattack disrupting European airports
A man in his 40s was arrested Tuesday in West Sussex, southern England, over a suspected cyberattack that disrupted operations at several European airports, including London Heathrow, authorities said Wednesday. He was taken into custody on suspicion of offenses involving computer misuse and later released on conditional bail.
Paul Foster, head of the U.K.’s National Crime Agency cybercrime unit, said the investigation is still in its early stages. “Although this arrest is a positive step, the investigation into this incident remains ongoing,” he said, adding that cybercrime continues to pose a major global threat and cause significant disruption in the U.K. The attack, which began late Friday and continued through the weekend, affected electronic systems at airports in Berlin, Brussels, and London, forcing staff to revert to handwritten boarding passes and backup laptops, though many other European airports were unaffected. The incident targeted software from Collins Aerospace, which manages check-ins, boarding passes, luggage tags, and baggage dispatch. The European Commission said aviation safety and air traffic control were not impacted. Experts say the attack could have been carried out by hackers, criminal groups, or state actors.
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