Cork airport today confirmed that an internal security review is being undertaken following yesterday’s incident in which a man was arrested while driving around the runway area in a hijacked fire service vehicle.
The man, understood to be originally from Waterford and aged 38, was arrested after he was immobilised by members of the Regional Support Unit, who used taser guns after he got out of the fire tender vehicle he had hijacked at the airport. The man, who had stripped down to his underpants, was handcuffed and brought to Togher Garda station.
He was later transferred to Cork University Hospital for psychiatric assessment. However, doctors at the hospital deemed the man to be fit to be questioned by gardaí and he was returned to Garda custody at Togher Garda station this morning
Gardaí now believe the man may have taken some illicit substances. It is understood that some toxicology tests were carried out at the hospital and that gardaí are awaiting the results of those tests.
The incident began at about 4.30pm when the man approached a Garda Traffic Corps SUV stopped in traffic outside Dunnes Stores on Patrick Street in Cork city centre. He jumped in and threatened a garda with a 12in kitchen knife.
He scraped the garda from the ear to the mouth and down to his neck with the knife before forcing him from the vehicle and driving off down pedestrianised Winthop Street and Oliver Plunkett Street, forcing people to flee. He then drove towards Cork Airport and rammed through the perimeter fence.
However, the garda, who wasn’t seriously injured, managed to report the incident and a number of Garda units pursued the man on to the airport runway. He rammed an unmarked Garda car, hurting a detective in the back-seat. The detective suffered a neck injury. The man then abandoned the stolen Garda SUV and approached a fire service SUV. Brandishing the knife, he ordered two people out of the vehicle.
He then took off in this second vehicle, and was pursued by gardaí. He drove around the airport before striking a luggage truck, ending up close to an Aer Lingus aircraft. The incident lasted 10 minutes.
A Cork Airport spokeswoman said the incident caused minimum disruption, with the private charter flight to Lourdes having to be postponed from 5.30pm to 5.58pm, but otherwise flights continued as normal at the airport.
“An investigation by An Garda Siochána is also under way and, under the circumstances, it would be inappropriate for Cork airport to comment further,” the airport said in a statement this morning.