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A man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage to a United States Air Force aircraft at Shannon Airport in County Clare in Ireland on April 11.
Irish police confirmed that the man entered the “unauthorized area of Shannon Airport”. Video footage circulating on social media appeared to show the man clambering onto a C-130 military transport aircraft and striking a wing with an object.
A source with knowledge on the incident described the damage done to the American aircraft to The Journal as “extensive.”
Operations at Shannon were temporarily suspended during the incident, “which required gardai assistance,” according to a spokeswoman for the airport.
In an official statement, the police said: “An adult male, aged in his 40s, was arrested for alleged criminal damage by gardai shortly before 11am and is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 in a Garda Station in the Clare Tipperary Division.”
A brand new C-130 aircraft generally costs between $67 million and over $80 million. The one damaged at Shannon Airport is likely repairable.
The incident was linked to the American-Israeli war on Iran, as well as to a recent series of Israeli strikes on Lebanon that claimed the lives of more than 350 people, including dozens of children. However, there is still no evidence that the man damaged the aircraft as a form of protest.
Frustration has been growing within countries allied to the U.S., especially in Europe, over the recent escalation in the Middle East.
Last month, a Czech factory that produces drones and has ties to a major Israeli arms company was set on fire, with a shadowy anti-Israel group claiming responsibility.
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