Four arrested over airport protest
Growing controversy over stop-over flights
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Sunday, 06, Aug 2006 02:00
Police have arrested four anti-war protestors who broke through a security fence and ran onto a runway at Prestwick airport in the early hours.
Three women and a man were taken into custody by Strathclyde police after getting onto the main runway area.
The four protestors claim they were looking into reports that US planes carrying bombs were landing in Prestwick and being used as a refuelling stop.
A spokesman for the group said they described themselves as "citizen weapons inspectors".
The protestors arrived at the civilian airport in Ayrshire late on Saturday night and were arrested shortly before 01:00 BST.
A Prestwick airport spokesman said no flights carrying weapons had landed at the airport.
He added: "As far as we are we are concerned a Government decision was made this week as regards these flights."
A Foreign Office spokesman said US cargo planes heading for the Middle East could legally land at UK airfields "as long as the proper procedures are followed".
Last Sunday, two flights carrying weapons were diverted from Prestwick to RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk last weekend after protests at both sites.
150 protestors descended on the airport to protest over the flights from Texas that were heading to Tel Aviv.