Three people arrested after pro-Palestinian activists breach airport perimeter
Three people have been arrested after a group of pro-Palestinian activists breached an airport perimeter in Co Clare.
The group Palestine Action Eire said three of its activists 'entered the airport runway' at Shannon in an attempt to inspect a US military plane.
The airport suspended operations for an hour until 7.30pm on Friday.
In a statement from the Irish police, An Garda Siochana, a spokeswoman said: 'Gardai responded to an incident of criminal damage at Shannon Airport, Co Clare, that occurred shortly before 6.30pm yesterday evening.
'Three individuals were subsequently arrested and are currently detained under section four of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a garda station in Co Clare.
'Investigations are ongoing.'
Palestine Action Eire alleges that the Omni Air Boeing 767-300 CRAF that landed at Shannon Airport on Thursday was aiding wars in the Middle East, including Israel and Yemen.
The group said its claims are 'contextualised by The Ditch's investigative reporting', which it said 'confirms that US weapons and military personnel are regularly travelling to the Middle East', including Israel, via Shannon Airport.
It is prohibited to transport munitions of war on civil aircraft across Irish airspace without an exemption from the transport minister.
News website The Ditch has reported that several flights carrying munitions to weapons manufacturers and contractors in Israel have transited Irish airspace since October 2023.
However, Irish ministers have suggested there is ambiguity on whether certain airlines require permission for their cargo.
Palestine Action Eire is demanding that the Government stop allowing flights carrying weapons and military equipment through Irish airspace.
A statement from the group said the Irish Government was 'literally fuelling genocide'.
'The Government continues to allow troops and weapons through Shannon against the democratic will of the people,' it said.
A spokesperson for the Shannon Airport Group said normal operations had resumed following an incident which required Gardai assistance.
'The airport suspended operations at 6.30pm and a number of flights were delayed as a result,' it said.
'The situation was promptly addressed by Gardai and operations fully resumed at 7.30pm.'
On March 27, Ireland's deputy premier and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris said it was 'expressly prohibited' for civil aircraft to carry munitions of war in Irish territory without being granted an exemption.
'In 2023, 2024, and to date in 2025, no applications have been received or exemptions granted for the carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft to a point in Israel,' he told the Dail parliament.
'Since October 2023, diplomatic clearance has been granted on a small number of occasions for US military aircraft to land in Shannon for the specific purpose of transporting senior officials travelling from the United States to the Middle East.
'Diplomatic clearance is subject to strict conditions, including that the aircraft is unarmed; that it carries no arms, ammunition or explosives; that it does not engage in intelligence gathering; and that the flight in question does not form part of a military exercise or operation.'
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