Man wielding a weapon damages US military plane at Irish airport (VIDEO)

(SeaPRwire) –   Footage shows the man on top of a C-130 Hercules, striking it with what appears to be a hatchet or a hammer at Shannon Airport

A man has been apprehended after breaching security at Ireland’s Shannon Airport and causing damage to a US military aircraft. This incident led to a temporary halt in operations and has renewed scrutiny of the United States’ long-standing use of the facility.

Video circulating online appears to depict the individual ascending a US Air Force C-130 Hercules parked on a remote taxiway at the airport in County Clare. Some reports indicated he was carrying an axe, hatchet, or hammer as he struck the aircraft, although authorities have thus far only confirmed an arrest for alleged criminal damage.

According to the Gardai (Irish police), the suspect, a man in his 40s, entered an unauthorized zone of the airport on Saturday morning and was arrested shortly before 11:00 am under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. The response involved airport police, Shannon Airport’s fire and rescue service, and Irish defense forces stationed at the location.

The security breach necessitated Shannon Airport suspending operations. Two departing flights were delayed, and an incoming aircraft from Lourdes, France, was held in a holding pattern before the airport resumed normal operations at 10:15 am.

It is currently unclear whether the incident was linked to the US campaign against Iran. However, Shannon Airport has experienced previous security breaches associated with opposition to its role as a refueling and transit point for US military traffic.

In January 2003, anti-war activist Mary Kelly used an axe to damage a US military aircraft at the airport in protest of the impending invasion of Iraq. Security measures were enhanced immediately following that incident. Just days later, on February 3, 2003, the Pitstop Ploughshares group entered Shannon and damaged a US Navy aircraft as another anti-war demonstration.

In a more recent event in November 2025, three activists allegedly drove a van into a restricted area, approached a parked US military plane, and spray-painted a US Navy Reserve Boeing 737-700, causing another operational shutdown. Several months prior, three women were arrested after breaching the perimeter and throwing red paint onto a US-linked aircraft.