*Photograph: Joe Buckley
THREE people have been arrested after they attempted to drive a van onto the runway of Shannon Airport.
Shortly after 6pm on Thursday evening, the occupants of a white Ford Transit van attempted to drive through a perimeter fence outside Shannon Airport but ran into difficulty in their attempts to drive on the taxiway after the van became stuck in a ditch on the other side of the fence.
The trio all from Dublin and self-described Palestinian activists then ran onto the taxiway of Shannon Airport before they were detected and apprehended.
All three were arrested and are now detained at Shannon Garda Station and Ennis Garda Station.
Their actions forced a disruption of an operations for an approximate hour at the international airport.
Operations have resumed at Shannon Airport following the incident. A spokesperson for the Shannon Airport Group confirmed, “Shannon Airport has resumed normal operations following an incident which required Gardai assistance. The airport suspended operations at 6.30pm and a number of flights were delayed as a result. The situation was promptly addressed by Gardai and operations fully resumed at 7.30pm”.
It is not known if their actions were linked to a potential visit of Eric Trump to Co Clare. The US businessman was due to land in Shannon Airport on Thursday but his visit was cancelled in recent days.
