A Frenchman who was arrested at Gatwick airport yesterday who caused a major security scare has now been charged with possession an air rifle and a knife.
Jerome Chauris, from Vendome, is due to appear at Crawley Magistrates’ Court tomorrow after he was arrested following reports of ‘suspicious behaviour’ at the North Terminal.
Hundreds of passengers were evacuated amid claims he threw a firearm into a rubbish bin following a disagreement with staff, just hours after terror attacks across Paris had left 129 dead.
Armed police were said to have shouted ‘get down, get down’ to travellers who were desperately trying to work out what was going on.
Sussex Police said: ‘Jerome Chauris, 41, unemployed and of no fixed address, but from Vendome, France, has been charged with possessing a dangerous article (an air rifle weapon) in any part of an aerodrome (Aviation Security Act 1982) and possessing a knife blade/sharp pointed article (a lock knife) in a public place (Criminal Justice Act 1988).’
Detective Superintendent Nick May said on Saturday that the terror attacks in Paris had led to ‘heightened awareness around any such incident and it is best that we treat the matter in all seriousness’.
Passengers were evacuated from the North Terminal in the rain and taken to nearby hotels.
Senior officers from Sussex Police were called to the airport’s police station and were understood to have convened a ‘Silver’ control meeting to discuss the security breach.
