Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan is set to sue the Metropolitan Police for wrongful arrest after he was detained at Heathrow on suspicion of inciting violence over a series of gender-critical posts on the X social media platform.
The Irish comedy writer, 57, alleges that he was arrested by five armed officers immediately after he stepped off the plane from Arizona.
Bafta-winning Linehan claimed online after being escorted to a private area, officers informed him he had been held “for three tweets”.
Several high-profile figures condemned the arrest, with Author JK Rowling labelling it “utterly deplorable” and Elon Musk descrbing the UK as a “police state”.
While Keir Starmer said the Prime Minister believed in “free speech” and thought that officers should spend their time dealing with “issues that matter most to our communities”.
Lineham said he was taking the legal action against Scotland Yard, in a case being supported by the Free Speech Union, because he had been “treated like a terrorist for speaking his mind on social media”.
Lawyers acting for the comedian have said they are considering legal action on several grounds.
This includes the unlawfulness of the arrest, the unlawful restriction on his free speech by banning him from X as a condition of granting him bail and alleged defamatory statements from the Met that he had been arrested for “inciting violence”, the Telegraph reported.
Mr Linehan said: “This was a horrible glimpse of the dystopian clown show that Britain has become.
“The FSU will support me by providing lawyers to advise on a claim against the Met Police for wrongful arrest and wrongful imprisonment in the hope that no one else is treated like a terrorist for speaking their mind on social media.”
Linehan on Wednesday released audio of his arrest by police.
While in another development Scotland Yard chief Sir Mark Rowley said his force has been left in an “impossible position” amid the firestorm over the arrest —as he appeared to point the finger of blame at the Government.
He said officers should not be “policing toxic culture wars debates”.
The Metropolitan Police said: “On Monday, September 1 at 1pm officers arrested a man at Heathrow Airport after he arrived on an inbound American Airlines flight.
“The man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence. This is in relation to posts on X.
“After being taken to police custody, officers became concerned for his health and he was taken to hospital.
“His condition is neither life-threatening nor life-changing.
“He has now been bailed pending further investigation.”
A spokeswoman added: “The arrest was made by officers from the MPS Aviation Unit. It is routine for officers policing airports to carry firearms. These were not drawn or used at any point during the arrest.”
One of Linehan’s posts on X from April 20 said: “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.”
A second tweet, on April 19, was a picture of a trans rally with the caption: “A photo you can smell.”
The third was a follow up to this tweet which said: “I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em.”
Linehan claimed he was later escorted to hospital A&E “because the stress nearly killed me”, adding his blood pressure was recorded at over 200mmHg by a nurse.
Describing his dramatic arrest on his blog, Linehan wrote: “The moment I stepped off the plane at Heathrow, five armed police officers were waiting. Not one, not two—five. They escorted me to a private area and told me I was under arrest for three tweets.”
He added: “I was arrested at an airport like a terrorist, locked in a cell like a criminal, taken to hospital because the stress nearly killed me, and banned from speaking online—all because I made jokes that upset some psychotic crossdressers.
“To me, this proves one thing beyond doubt: the UK has become a country that is hostile to freedom of speech, hostile to women, and far too accommodating to the demands of violent, entitled, abusive men who have turned the police into their personal goon squad.”
Rowling, who often speaks out on trans issues and has faced backlash for saying trans women shouldn't be allowed into female-only spaces, wrote on X: “ What the f*** has the UK become? This is totalitarianism. Utterly deplorable.”
X and Tesla boss Elon Musk responded to the tweet calling the UK a “police state”.
While Piers Morgan also weighed-in, writing: “What’s happened to [Linehan] today is absolutely ridiculous. Five armed cops arresting him at Heathrow for tweets mocking the scandal of biological men invading women’s spaces? When it comes to free speech, Britain’s turning into North Korea.”
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick also criticised the arrests saying: “This is ridiculous and a complete waste of police time. The police only respond to 1 in 5 reported shoplifting offences, but deployed 5 armed officers to arrest a comedian over three tweets. We desperately need to end this nonsense and go after actual criminals.”
On Tuesday afternoon the Prime Minister’s spokesman suggested police should be concentrating on issues that “matter most to their communities”.
He said: “This is an operational matter for the police, but the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have been clear about what their priorities on crime and policing are: that’s tackling antisocial behaviour, shoplifting and street crime as well as reducing serious violent crime such as knife crime and violence against women.”
The spokesman continued: “The Met Police Commissioner himself has talked previously about recruits joining the police to protect the public, and that he wants the police to exist to protect the public, spending their time dealing with the issues that matter most to their communities.”
He added Sir Keir did not agree with Musk’s comment that the arrest showed Britain was now a “police state”.
“The Prime Minister has spoken previously about how he is strongly in favour of free speech and the long proud history of free speech in this country, and he will continue to do so,” he said.
Sir Keir doubled-down on his position at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir saying: I’ve been clear throughout that we must ensure the police focus on the most serious issues, and the issues that matter most to our constituencies and all communities, and that includes tackling issues like anti-social behaviour, knife crime and violence.
“We have a long history of free speech in this country. I’m very proud of that and I will always defend it.”
Linehan is due to face trial this month accused of harassing transgender activist Sophia Brooks, 18, on social media and damaging her mobile in October.
In 2023, Lineham recalled in his book titled Tough Crowd: How I Made And Lost A Career In Comedy, how championing “an unfashionable cause” cost him his livelihood.
He created Father Ted in the 1990s with fellow Irish writer Arthur Mathews.
He also came up with TV sitcoms The IT Crowd and Black Books.
