CELEBRITY
How DID they get in? Security fears as Just Stop Oil break into Stansted’s VIP airfield and spray paint plane hours after Taylor Swift’s father landed in luxury jet
Security questions were raised today over how two Just Stop Oil activists managed to get into a private area of Stansted Airport and spray orange paint over two planes.
Jennifer Kowalski, 28, and Cole Macdonald, 22, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after gaining access to the airfield and damaging the private jets. Just Stop Oil said pop star Taylor Swift’s jet had landed at Stansted only hours before, but MailOnline can confirm that her plane was not one of the two targeted. Swift is believed to have chartered the jet to take her mother Andrea and father Scott to London for her shows at Wembley Stadium from tomorrow until Sunday.
It touched down at about 11pm last night along with an array of goods including a case of wine, before the luggage was transferred into a convoy of seven vehicles. Just Stop Oil later confirmed that its activists used a website which tracks the location of commercial planes and private jets to confirm that Swift’s was there.
Aviation expert Julian Bray told MailOnline this afternoon that because the protesters were entering a protected airport area, they could be prosecuted under the Air Navigation Laws with intent to danger an aircraft, rather than just criminal damage. He continued: ‘Harrods Aviation and others who control the private terminal need to rethink security as clearly this is lacking. Essex Police also need to raise their game as they seemed to be unaware of the serious security breach.
‘Aircraft concerned will need to be taken out of service, stripped down and forensically examined before repair in case additional perils are found which may affect future operations. ‘Really this activity is so dangerous and has to be robustly challenged and custodial sentences handed out. It is that serious a security breach.’
Scott was pictured at Stansted last night after disembarking the jet and is believed to have been accompanied by Andrea, although she was not seen by onlookers. Just Stop Oil are thought to have staged their attack just after dawn today in a bid to attract maximum publicity in an apparent attempt to target Swift’s plane.