One man critical after gang fight inside the terminal
22.01.08
Rival gangs armed with machetes, chains and iron bars clashed inside the terminal at Birmingham Airport on Sunday night, leaving one man critically injured with a knife wound to the head and two others in hospital. One of the gangs - believed to be a group of bikers - then rampaged through the arrivals lounge in front of terrified passengers.
The violence erupted when a gang of 11 people - 10 men and 1 woman - chased and attacked 3 men as they were walking through the Millennium Walkway area that links terminals one and two at the airport. The 3 men had just arrived on a flight from Alicante, Spain, and so were unlikely to have been armed, unlike their attackers.
An airport worker who saw the bloody attack told the Metro newspaper that a 'Hells Angels-type' group was involved. He said: 'There was a large group of men congregating around the arrivals lounge, mostly big, stocky guys and they seemed agitated and looked as though they were waiting for someone. Then, all of a sudden, a few pointed out 3 large, shaven-headed men who had just got off the Alicante flight and they exploded.'
'Out came bars, machetes and chains and they really laid into these 3 men, it was horrific. I've seen a fights before but this was different. It was brutal, it was nasty and it was organised. People were screaming as they ran for cover. There was blood everywhere.'
'The fight carried on for a couple of minutes; the police were nowhere to be seen, which is unusual because usually there is quite a strong presence.' Another member of staff said: 'I'm just staggered that violence as extreme as this could happen at an airport.'
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police confirmed that officers were called to 'reports of a disorder', adding: 'The call was made at 21:35 on Sunday night after an altercation had taken place between a group of people. Three men, aged 43, 45 and 50 were injured. The 50-year-old is in a critical condition with head injuries. The two other men are in hospital but their injuries are not as serious.'
The attackers - 10 men and 1 woman - fled in vehicles waiting outside Birmingham Airport's Terminal One, but were later arrested. They are in custody helping the police with their enquiries.
Other witnesses have said that some of the men were wearing Hell's Angels insignia. The Times quotes a 'source close to the investigation' saying that the police had not ruled out a link with the murder of a Canadian Hell's Angel last August.
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