Graham Linehan was reportedly arrested at Heathrow Airport for inciting violence against trans people on X. The Father Ted co-creator was arriving back in the UK from Arizona on Monday, September 1, when he was detained.

Although not identifying Linehan, the Metropolitan Police issued a statement confirming that “officers arrested a man at Heathrow Airport after he arrived on an inbound American Airlines flight”.

The force added, “The man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence. This is in relation to posts on X.”

In a Substack article, Graham Linehan shared his version of events, alongside three social media posts from April that he claims led to his arrest. One reads, “If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls.”

Another shared an image of trans protesters with the caption, “A photo you can smell,” followed up by “I hate them”.

After he was taken into police custody, officers “became concerned for his health,” with Linehan saying his blood pressure rose to “over 200”. He was taken to hospital and kept under observation before being released on bail pending further investigation.

The Irish writer is separately due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, September 4, accused of harassing Sophia Brooks, an 18-year-old transgender activist, through abusive social media comments made between October 11 and 27, 2024. He is also charged with allegedly damaging her phone to the value of £369 at the Battle of Ideas conference in London in the same month, at which he was a speaker. He has denied the accusations and was granted bail on the condition that he did not contact the complainant directly or indirectly.

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