LONDON, Oct 10: A man was arrested under Britain’s Terrorism Act after a terminal at London’s Heathrow airport was evacuated on Tuesday because of a suspicious bag, police said.

Passengers were allowed back into Terminal 2 after the bag was checked and cleared by specialist officers.

An airport source, who declined to be identified, said a police swab test for explosives on the bag had showed positive, but that it was not a viable bomb.

A police spokeswoman declined comment on whether explosive substances had been detected but said a man had been arrested under the Terrorism Act and was being questioned by officers.

A man was seen running in and dropping a bag at the check-in area, airport personnel had said earlier.

Airport operator BAA said the terminal was evacuated in early afternoon after the suspect bag was found. It reopened at 5pm (1600 GMT), it said.

“Some disruption to Terminal 2 operations should be expected for the remainder of the day,” a BAA spokesman said.

Terminal 2 serves European destinations from Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest airports.

—Reuters