Terror threat sees all liquids banned from Eurostar train
EUROSTAR passengers were banned from taking liquids on board in a terror alert this week.
Travellers were forced to discard perfumes, alcohol and toiletries at check-in in Brussels on Tuesday morning with no prior warning.
Security checks were tightened and extra officers deployed after Belgian federal police received a warning of a potential threat to the 10.56am service to London.
It came hours before the Prime Minister’s Brexit letter was delivered to Brussels reportedly aboard Eurostar.
Normally the firm puts no limit on the amount of liquids that can be taken on board.
Eurostar staff said a helicopter followed the 10.56 train as it left. The claim could not be confirmed last night.
In 2006, air passengers were banned from carrying more than 100ml in hand luggage, after the Government uncovered a plot to blow up transatlantic jets with ‘liquid bombs’.
The heightened checks on the ‘targeted’ Eurostar service came in the wake of last week’s Westminster terror attack, and the 2016 Brussels bombings in which 32 people were killed.
A Eurostar source expressed concern that the operator had not given a reason to the public or staff over the sudden changes to security.
‘Everything as far as I know has been kept very hush-hush,’ he said. ‘No communication at all. Obviously the risk was very serious as all staff and passengers were asked to leave any liquids behind, which doesn’t happen very often.
‘A helicopter was apparently [following] …and even then passengers [were] not made aware of a potential threat.’ Customers complained about the short notice of the changes, unaware it was under the guidance of Belgian authorities. One named Ursula wrote on Twitter: ‘Send an email or at least tweet on the liquids next time. I had to throw away my perfume – was my Christmas present.’
A spokesman said Eurostar’s security was set by the authorities in each country it serves, adding: ‘On some occasions we may be advised to implement additional checks. This was the case with one Brussels service yesterday.’
Belgium’s federal police did not respond to requests for comment last night. ÷HOME Secretary Amber Rudd will today haul in Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter bosses for a dressing down over their failure to remove extremist material.
It came as Craig Mackey, acting head of Scotland Yard, said the Westminster attack was a ‘wake-up call’ for tech firms to ‘get their house in order’.