GRAHAM Linehan has been arrested at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of "inciting violence" through a series of gender-critical tweets.
The Father Ted co-creator, 56, was questioned by police upon returning to London from Arizona over three tweets.
He was arrested by officers on suspicion of inciting violence, but was bailed pending further investigation.
The gender-critical campaigner alleged he had been arrested immediately after stepping off the plane before being escorted to a private area.
One of the tweets read: “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 was a picture of a pro-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 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.
"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."
Linehan claimed that he had been questioned and released with a bail condition that he must not go on Twitter/X. His most recent post on the social media platform was at 12.29pm on Monday.
The gender-critical campaigner added that he had subsequently been taken to hospital after a nurse found he had high blood pressure while he was being questioned. Police described his condition as "neither life-threatening nor life-changing".
A Met Police spokesperson 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."
In a further statement, the Met 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.”
Linehan was previously arrested and charged with harassing a transgender woman and damaging her phone.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges in May, with the trial set to take place at Westminster Magistrates Court on September 4 and 5.
