Lunatic attacks US war plane with hatchet in Ireland, extensively damaging $75M craft
A man reportedly used a hatchet to attack a U.S. military aircraft at Shannon Airport in County Clare, Ireland, on Saturday, leaving the plane with significant damage and briefly disrupting operations at the airport.
According to reports from local media, the suspect gained access to a restricted section of the airport where a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, valued at about $75 million, was parked. The man, believed to be in his 40s and not yet publicly identified, allegedly climbed onto the wing of the aircraft and struck both the wing and parts of the fuselage with the hatchet.
Authorities said the incident forced Shannon Airport to suspend activity for just under half an hour while security responded. Officers from Ireland’s national police force, the Garda Síochána, arrived at the scene and arrested the suspect.
The C-130 Hercules is a military transport aircraft widely used for a variety of missions, including troop and equipment transport and support operations. One aircraft of the same type was involved in a separate incident earlier in April when it was shot down over Iran and later crashed in Kuwait during an effort to rescue the pilots of a downed F-15E fighter jet.
Shannon Airport has frequently been the location of protests connected to the presence of U.S. military aircraft. Demonstrators have called on the Irish government to inspect American planes passing through the airport for weapons they believe could be destined for Israel. The airport has served as a refueling and transit point for U.S. military flights since the Iraq War era, a practice that some anti-war activists in Ireland argue conflicts with the country’s policy of neutrality.
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