Britain’s counterterrorism police are leading the investigation into the cause of the fire near Heathrow Airport, signaling that the possibility of sabotage was being taken seriously, at least as a precaution. But officials said there was no immediate evidence that foul play was involved. After the blaze at the electrical substation and subsequent power outage, the scale of the resulting chaos raised uncomfortable questions for Britain’s government about the security measures protecting key transport hubs and the resilience of the country’s aging infrastructure. The Metropolitan Police in London said that counterterrorism specialists had taken charge “given the location of the substation and the impact this incident has had on critical national infrastructure.”Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said it was “not unusual” for the specialized officers to be involved in an investigation of such a major incident, and he told Sky News that there was “no reason at all for anyone to be concerned or alarmed.”

Source: The Times March 21, 2025 19:06 UTC