Tommy Robinson detained at Heathrow under counter-terror laws
Robinson claimed on social media that he had been detained for almost three hours, with officers seizing his iPhone and Samsung Galaxy handsets
Tommy Robinson has issued a plea for funding after being detained by police at Heathrow Airport under counter-terrorism legislation.
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Far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was stopped under section 3 of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 on Saturday night.
Robinson later claimed on social media that he had been detained for almost three hours and that officers seized his iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phone.
The 2019 law gives police at ports the power to stop, question, search and detain people suspected of travelling in connection with hostile activity.
The Metropolitan Police declined to comment.
However, shortly after his release, Robinson was seen to share a link to a legal fundraising page, adding: 'So here we go again, looks like more defence and court fees ffs!!!"
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Robinson, 43, has drawn renewed attention on social media in recent days amid racial tensions in Britain following the release of police body-worn footage showing the death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak in custody in Southampton.
A spokesperson for Robinson wrote on X: "They likely want to see who he is talking to, and maybe find out who his sources are, sources who will expose politicians for their part in the rape of a generation of British girls.
"This is an attack on free speech, this is an attack on investigative journalism, nothing more nothing less."
The former English Defence League leader has been involved in protests in Hampshire, where clashes between demonstrators and police left 13 officers and a police dog injured.
He also shared footage from Belfast appearing to show a man armed with a knife pinning another man to the ground in what was reported as a suspected attempted murder.
Robinson later posted details of planned demonstrations across Britain and Northern Ireland on X, with Elon Musk sharing the post to his followers.
Robinson was previously cleared of a terror-related offence after refusing to give police access to his phone in July 2024, when he was stopped at the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone while driving to Spain.
He had refused to provide the PIN for the device, saying it contained confidential journalistic material.
A district judge later found he could not be sure the stop had been lawful.