One man critical after gang fight at Birmingham airport
22.01.08
Rival gangs armed with machetes, chains and iron bars fought a bloody battle at Birmingham Airport on Sunday, leaving one man critically injured with a knife wound to the head. The gangs - believed to be rival groups of bikers - then rampaged through the arrivals lounge in front of terrified passengers.
The violence erupted when a gang of 11 people chased and attacked 3 men as they were walking through the Millennium Walkway area that links terminals one and two at the airport, after they had arrived on a flight from Alicante, Spain.
An airport worker who saw the attack told the Metro newspaper that a 'Hells Angels-type' group was involved. He said: 'There was a large group of men congregating around the arrivals lounge, mostly big, stocky guys and they seemed agitated and looked as though they were waiting for someone. Then, all of a sudden, a few pointed out three large, shaven-headed men who had just got off the Alicante flight and they exploded.'
'Out came bars, machetes and chains and they really laid into these three men, it was horrific. I've seen a fights before but this was different. It was brutal, it was nasty and it was organised. People were screaming, young kids crying their eyes out and they ran for cover, but there was blood everywhere.'
'The fight carried on for a couple of minutes; the police were nowhere to be seen, which is unusual because usually there is quite a strong presence.' Another member of staff said: 'I'm just staggered that violence as extreme as this could happen at an airport.'
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police confirmed that officers were called to 'reports of a disorder', adding: 'The call was made at 21:35 on Sunday night after an altercation had taken place between a group of people. Three men, aged 43, 45 and 50 were injured. The 50-year-old man is in a critical condition with head injuries. The two other men are in hospital but their injuries are not as serious.'
The attackers - ten men and one woman - fled in vehicles waiting outside Birmingham International's Terminal One, but were later arrested. They are in custody helping the police with their enquiries.
Other witnesses said that some of the men were wearing Hell's Angels insignia. The Times quotes a 'source close to the investigation' saying that the police were not ruling out a link with the murder of a Canadian Hell's Angel last August.
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