Overview

• Metropolitan Police arrested the Father Ted and IT Crowd co-creator on suspicion of inciting violence over three April posts on X, with Aviation Unit officers making the arrest at Heathrow.
• Police said firearms are routinely carried at airports and were not drawn; Linehan was taken from custody to hospital for monitoring and later bailed.
• His bail includes a single condition barring him from posting on X pending further investigation and a follow-up interview expected later in the year.
• Commissioner Mark Rowley said officers had reasonable grounds but urged legal clarity, promising to take forward only social-media cases with a clear risk of harm or disorder.
• Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament police should focus on the most serious issues, and Linehan remains due in court Thursday in a separate harassment and criminal-damage case to which he has pleaded not guilty.