Lead

British anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson said he was detained at Heathrow Airport on Saturday and had his phone seized, following a week during which he posted heavily online about racist and anti-immigrant riots in Northern Ireland. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, said on social media that he was held on Saturday evening for around three hours under the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act.

“My phone has been seized by the police,” he wrote on X. “Please help kick off my legal fund for defence.”

Coverage Comparison

The Jerusalem Post and the South China Morning Post both reported the detention and the phone seizure, with consistent details about the duration of the detention and the legal basis. Both outlets also noted that Robinson had been posting heavily about the Northern Ireland riots in the preceding week.

A police spokesman, without naming Robinson, said officers had stopped a man in his 40s at Heathrow Airport on Saturday, following his return to Britain from Russia via Turkey. The man was interviewed, his communication devices were seized, and he was subsequently released, the spokesman said.

Key Claims

  • Robinson was detained at Heathrow Airport on Saturday and had his phone seized by police.
  • He was held for around three hours under the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act.
  • The detention followed a week of Robinson’s social media posts about riots in Northern Ireland.
  • The riots erupted after a video of a brutal stabbing went viral; the victim lost an eye in the attack.
  • A Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder in connection with the stabbing.
  • Police have said they are not treating the attack as terrorism.
  • Rioters targeted homes and businesses owned by ethnic minorities or foreign residents.
  • Local politicians have said far-right agitators online helped to coordinate or promote the violence.