THE rabble-rousing far-right activist Tommy Robinson was detained by police under terrorism legislation at London’s Heathrow airport on Saturday evening, it has been confirmed.
Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, says he was held for nearly three hours after returning from abroad.
The 43-year-old posted pictures on X of paperwork showing he had been detained under Schedule 3 of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, which allows officers to stop, detain and search someone if they suspect they have been engaged in hostile activity.
The revelation raised suspicions that Robinson may have recently spent time in Spain – a favoured bolthole from legal issues in the UK.
But this time, the former leader of the English Defence League (EDL) had been travelling from a far more unexpected corner of the world.
In a statement, the UK’s Metropolitan Police said: “Officers stopped a man in his 40s at Heathrow airport at around 5pm on Saturday, 13 June, following his return to the UK from Russia via Turkey.
“He was stopped under the provisions of Schedule 3 of the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019.
“The man was interviewed by officers and his communication devices were seized.
“He was subsequently released.”
The detention came just days after Robinson posted a video of himself in Moscow, Russia with Errol Musk, father of the world’s first-ever trillionaire Elon Musk.
Robinson, who holds an Irish passport, has a documented history of ‘hiding’ in Spain and Portugal – particularly the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol – often using luxury properties as hideouts and production bases for his extremist content.
He spent part of the summer of 2023 in L’Albir, just north of Benidorm, staying in a luxury €1.5 million villa reportedly owned by British fashion tycoon Philip Day.
The Olive Press revealed that Robinson used the property to film far-right podcasts, sometimes alongside notorious figures such as Gavin McInnes, founder of the Proud Boys.
In response to our investigation, Robinson posted a threatening video claiming to have obtained personal details about Olive Press reporters.
Speaking while walking through the Alicante hills, he said: “See if you like it when I come and knock on your mum’s door.”
The Guardia Civil was alerted over the threats. Robinson later claimed his children had been targeted by anti-fascist groups and said he would be forced to relocate – again.
Robinson also has a history of staying in the Canary Islands.
He spent Christmas 2023 in Tenerife with German far-right activist Lutz Bachmann, who had been banned from entering the UK.
And last year, the Olive Press exclusively revealed that Robinson had fled to Tenerife after being filmed near an unconscious man at London’s St Pancras train station – although assault allegations were later dropped
Robinson has also previously lived in Marbella, uploading videos from the exclusive Manolo Santana Racquets Club in the Istan hills.
He has also been spotted at the Quinta do Lago resort in the Algarve on a three-week family holiday.
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