British right-wing activist Tommy Robinson, whose legal name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was briefly detained on Saturday evening at Heathrow Airport under the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act. Robinson reported on social media that his phone was confiscated by police during the incident, which lasted approximately three hours. He called for support to fund his legal defense following the detention.

The detention occurred after a week marked by Robinson’s frequent online postings about violent unrest in Northern Ireland. The violence erupted in Belfast following the circulation of a video showing the stabbing of a man, who subsequently lost an eye in the attack. A Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder in connection with the stabbing, but police have stated that the incident is not being treated as an act of terrorism.

In the days after the attack, rioters targeted homes and businesses owned by ethnic minorities and foreign residents. The British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland labelled the disturbances as acts of racist thuggery. Local politicians have suggested that far-right online activists played a role in coordinating or encouraging the violence, although no direct link to Robinson has been publicly confirmed.

A police spokesperson, without naming Robinson, confirmed that officers stopped a man in his 40s at Heathrow upon his return to the UK from a trip through Russia and Turkey. The man was interviewed and had his communication devices seized before being released. Official statements have not elaborated on the reasons for the detention or whether it relates directly to the unrest in Northern Ireland.