Galloway and wife questioned at Gatwick under Schedule 3 powers

Former MP George Galloway and his wife, Putri Gayatri Pertiwi, were stopped and questioned by counterterrorism officers at London Gatwick Airport on Saturday after returning to the UK from Moscow via Abu Dhabi, the Metropolitan Police and the couple said. The pair were detained under Schedule 3 of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, which gives officers the power to stop, question, search and detain people at border locations to determine whether they have engaged in hostile activity. The Metropolitan Police said neither was arrested and both were allowed on their way without charge.

The Met said in a statement, "We can confirm that on Saturday, counter terrorism officers at Gatwick Airport stopped a man in his 70s and a woman in their 40s under Schedule 3 of the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. Neither of them were arrested and they were allowed on their way." It did not give further detail about the reasons for the stop.

Galloway, 71, and his wife have described a longer and more intrusive encounter. Galloway said officers questioned the couple about their political views, including their attitudes to Russia, China and Gaza, and asked about a...