Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was detained by police on Saturday at Heathrow airport under counter-terrorism laws. The arrest occurred after a week in which the far-right activist gained global prominence on social media amid racial tensions in Britain.
Detention Details
It is understood that Robinson was stopped and his phone was seized under section 3 of the Counter-Terrorism Border Security Act 2019. The activist posted on social media claiming he was detained for nearly three hours and had his iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phones taken. He also asked his supporters to donate money to fund his legal defense.
A spokesperson for Robinson posted on X: "They likely want to see who he is talking to, and maybe find out who his sources are, sources who will expose politicians for their part in the rape of a generation of British girls. This is an attack on free speech, this is an attack on investigative journalism, nothing more nothing less."
Legal Context
The 2019 act grants police officers at ports the authority to stop, question, search, and detain individuals suspected of traveling to plan, prepare, or carry out hostile acts. It remains unclear what the stop of Robinson was related to, and the Metropolitan Police declined to comment when approached.
Recent Rise to Prominence
Robinson has recently gained prominence amid racial tensions across Britain, following the release of police bodyworn footage showing the death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak while in police custody in Southampton. The former English Defence League leader spearheaded protests in the Hampshire town, during which clashes between rioters and police left 13 officers and a police dog injured.
He also amplified footage of a man, believed to be a Sudanese asylum seeker, wielding a knife over another man pinned to the ground in Belfast in a suspected attempted murder on Monday. Robinson posted details of planned demonstrations across Britain and Northern Ireland on X, which Elon Musk shared with his 240 million followers.
Previous Incident
Robinson was previously cleared of a terror charge after refusing to give police access to his phone in July 2024, when he was stopped by officers at the Channel tunnel in Folkestone while driving a friend's silver Bentley to Benidorm, Spain. He refused to provide the pin to his phone, arguing it contained confidential journalistic material. A district judge concluded he could not be sure the police stop was lawful.
