Galloway Detained at Gatwick by Counterterrorism Officers

George Galloway, the 71-year-old leader of the Workers Party of Britain, was temporarily detained by Metropolitan Police counterterrorism officers at Gatwick Airport on Saturday as he returned to the United Kingdom, police and his party said. The stop occurred as Galloway and his wife arrived from Abu Dhabi after travelling from Moscow, according to the party and multiple reports.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed that on Saturday, 27 September, counterterrorism officers at Gatwick 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 was arrested and both were allowed to continue their journeys, the spokesperson said. The police statement did not name the individuals involved.

The Workers Party of Britain posted on social media that officers informed them at about 11am that their leader and his wife had been detained. The party said police agreed to pass messages between the couple and the party, and that despite repeated attempts it had not been given further information on their wellbeing or the observation of their rights. The party described the incident as "politically motivated...