Man in His 40s Arrested for Alleged Criminal Damage to US Air Force Plane at Ireland's Shannon Airport

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:39:00 +0200

A man in his 40s was arrested by Irish police at Shannon Airport in County Clare, Ireland, on Saturday morning for the alleged criminal damage of a US military aircraft. According to reports, footage circulating on social media showed the individual climbing onto a US Air Force C-130 Hercules transport plane and striking its wing with an object. The incident occurred shortly before 11 a.m. local time. An Garda Síochána, Ireland's national police service, confirmed the arrest in an official statement, noting that the suspect is being held under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda station in the Clare Tipperary Division. Shannon Airport has been a frequent stopover point for US military aircraft in recent years, often sparking protests from anti-war activists in Ireland due to the country's neutral status. No details have been released about the extent of any damage to the plane or the man's possible motives. Authorities have not commented further on the investigation a