LONDON (AP) — A security alert at London’s Gatwick Airport delayed dozens of flights and left arriving passengers scrambling for alternative ways to get home after authorities evacuated one terminal and shut the airport train station for more than four hours on Friday.
Authorities evacuated the airport’s south terminal after police were called to investigate a “suspected prohibited item” found in luggage at about 8:20 a.m. Sussex Police said a bomb disposal team made the package safe and two people detained during the investigation were allowed to continue their journeys.
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A passenger hitchhikes outside Gatwick airport, where flights have been cancelled and delayed after a "suspected prohibited item" was found in luggage, near Crawley, England, Friday Nov. 22, 2024. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
Passengers stand outside Gatwick airport, where flights have been cancelled and delayed after a "suspected prohibited item" was found in luggage, in Crawley, England, Friday Nov. 22, 2024. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
A passenger hitchhikes at Gatwick airport, where flights have been cancelled and delayed after a "suspected prohibited item" was found in luggage, near Crawley, England, Friday Nov. 22, 2024. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
Passengers walk at Gatwick airport, where flights have been cancelled and delayed after a "suspected prohibited item" was found in luggage, in Crawley, England, Friday Nov. 22, 2024. (Gareth Fuller/via AP)
FILE - Passengers head to departures, at the Gatwick Airport near Crawley, south of London, on July 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
The terminal reopened to passengers and staff at about 3 p.m. (1500 GMT), the airport said in a statement. The airport’s north terminal remained open throughout the day.
About 100,000 passengers were scheduled to fly into and out of Gatwick, Britain’s second-busiest airport, on Friday. But many faced long delays.
Nejadeen Braham, 35, was supposed to fly to Jamaica to pick up her children, but said she couldn’t get into the south terminal.
“I saw everybody coming (out) from one direction,” she said. “I was supposed to go inside, drop my bags and go through security. When I got here, I saw everybody coming down.’’
The security alert at Gatwick was one of two that rattled London on Friday.
A road near the U.S. Embassy was shut down Friday morning as police investigated a suspicious package found in the area. London’s Metropolitan Police Service said it carried out a controlled explosion of what was later determined to be a “hoax device.”
The embassy said it resumed “normal business operations” at about 1 pm. (1300 GMT), although all public appointments were canceled for the day.
At Gatwick, travelers faced long lists of delayed and canceled flights on airport information boards. Outside, long lines of arriving passengers waited for taxis, while others resorted to walking or hitchhiking when they discovered the heavily used airport train station was also closed by the security alert.
The airport advised passengers to contact their airline for update information.
Several carriers, including BA and Norwegian reported delays.
Spanish airline Vueling ordered inbound flights from Barcelona and Seville to turn around and return to their point of departure.
A passenger hitchhikes outside Gatwick airport, where flights have been cancelled and delayed after a "suspected prohibited item" was found in luggage, near Crawley, England, Friday Nov. 22, 2024. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
Passengers stand outside Gatwick airport, where flights have been cancelled and delayed after a "suspected prohibited item" was found in luggage, in Crawley, England, Friday Nov. 22, 2024. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
A passenger hitchhikes at Gatwick airport, where flights have been cancelled and delayed after a "suspected prohibited item" was found in luggage, near Crawley, England, Friday Nov. 22, 2024. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
Passengers walk at Gatwick airport, where flights have been cancelled and delayed after a "suspected prohibited item" was found in luggage, in Crawley, England, Friday Nov. 22, 2024. (Gareth Fuller/via AP)
FILE - Passengers head to departures, at the Gatwick Airport near Crawley, south of London, on July 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
CORONADO, Calif. (AP) — Corey Heim slammed into the wall twice while destroying his tires during the first few runs Sunday in the inaugural NASCAR race at Naval Base Coronado.
It was no problem for Heim, whose No. 67 Toyota inexplicably kept getting faster on the way to his first career Cup Series victory in only his 13th start.
The 23-year-old part-time driver from Marietta, Georgia, took a deep breath before the second half of the race and reminded himself that he had as much experience as the veterans on the 16-turn, 3.4-mile street course on Coronado Island, just south of downtown San Diego.
“I’m speechless,” Heim said. “Maybe I knocked some good into the car. I have no idea. I had high expectations coming into this race. I just reset and went after it.”
Heim, the 2024 truck series champion who will move full time into Cup next season with 23XI Racing, led the final three laps after snatching first from teammate Tyler Reddick.
“I was able to stick with him, and five to go came, and it was time to put some pressure on him and see if I could get him to make a mistake,” Heim said. “Sure enough, he did.”
Bubba Wallace finished second to deliver a 1-2 finish for 23XI Racing, the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA great Michael Jordan.
Reddick suffered a flat tire in the closing laps and fell to 25th, cutting his lead in the standings to eight points over Hamlin.
“To even have a shot at it at the end was really nice,” said Reddick, who started from the rear after unapproved adjustments to his No. 45 Toyota. “First and foremost, congratulations to Corey. I thought I was going to be able to hold him off there. It definitely stings. Really needed a good points day. Had another really bad one, so we’ll try and scrape together.”
It’s the second time in three years that an inaugural street race has produced a first-time winner in NASCAR’s premier series. Shane van Gisbergen won his Cup debut in the 2023 Chicago Street Race.
Heim became the third first-time winner in Cup this season, joining Ty Gibbs (Bristol) and Carson Hocevar (Talladega).
“Just crazy,” Heim said. “I hope I don’t wake up from this dream.”
His peers already think Heim’s for real.
“Awesome job by Corey Heim,” two-time Cup champion Kyle Larson said after finishing third. “That’s really cool. He’s a super talented race car driver, and it's neat to see somebody get their first win, especially at a challenging track like this.”
Zane Smith and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top five.
Hamlin, the driver-owner who had won the past three races for Joe Gibbs Racing, finished 14th.
Van Gisbergen finished 38th in his bid for an eighth road or street course victory (which will make him the active leader among Cup drivers).
After starting from the pole position, van Gisbergen was caught in a crash that started when Trackhouse Racing teammate Connor Zilisch and Austin Hill collided while battling for the lead on a Lap 32 restart. The nine-car incident caused a nine-minute red flag for wall repairs.
“I felt like I was giving Austin space, and the next thing, I was in the wall,” said Zilisch, who led the first eight laps of his Cup career in the highlight of a miserable rookie season. “Really unfortunate. I hate to end both days for both Shane and I. We had a really fast car today. I had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed just getting to race out front and lead laps.”
During the first caution, Christopher Bell was replaced in the No. 20 Toyota by Brent Crews, but the driver relief stint was short. Crews exited in last place after a gearbox problem on the 28th lap.
Bell is still recovering from a broken wrist in a June 7 crash at Michigan International Speedway and said getting out of the car was precautionary and not because of pain.
In his second and last Cup start of the 2026 season, Jimmie Johnson slammed a tire barrier after missing a chicane on the fifth lap and finished 28th.
The seven-time series champion said Saturday that he still plans on the 2027 Daytona 500 as his final start as a Cup driver, but he is open to racing in other series.
NASCAR will stay in California, heading north to Sonoma Raceway on June 28. Van Gisbergen dominated in winning on the road course last season, leading 97 of 110 laps from the pole position.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Cory Heim competes in a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Cory Heim celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Connor Zilisch (88) and Ryan Preece (60) go around Turn 2 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Cars race past the USS Carl Vinson during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Shane Van Gisbergen (97) and Bubba Wallace (23) come out of Turn 2 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
