Tommy Robinson Stopped at Heathrow, Phone Seized

The activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is understood to have been stopped and had his phone seized under Section 3 of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. Robinson claimed on social media that he was detained for almost three hours, had his i Phone and Samsung Galaxy phones taken, and asked his supporters to donate money to fund his legal defence.

The detention at Heathrow follows a week of violent racial tensions in the UK. Robinson has recently returned to prominence amid racial tensions across Britain, following police body-worn footage showing the death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak while in police custody in Southampton. The former English Defence League leader spearheaded protests in the Hampshire town, during which clashes between rioters and police left 13 officers and a police dog injured. It was not clear why Robinson was stopped, and the Metropolitan Police declined to comment when approached.

A district judge concluded he could not be sure the police stop was lawful.

Robinson was previously cleared of a terror charge after refusing to give police access to his phone in July 2024, when he was stopped by officers at the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone while driving a friend’s silver Bentley to Benidorm in Spain. He refused to give officers the PIN for his phone during the stop, arguing that the device contained confidential journalistic material.