L.F. Wade International Airport was on red alert yesterday when a man breached security by entering a restricted area.

Bomb squads, fire trucks and Police were all called to the scene, with two flights grounded, after an airport worker was said to have been spotted trying to access a plane at 4 a.m.

A 31-year-old Warwick man was arrested and taken into Police custody during the morning. Premier Ewart Brown was scheduled to depart on one of the flights, a source confirmed, while ZBM last night reported that Deputy Leader Paula Cox was also due to fly. Officers and airport officials spent the morning inspecting two American Airlines planes which were parked on the loading area at the time of the incident before deeming them safe for travel.

Airport general manager Aaron Adderley yesterday said security would now be stepped up as a result. Police Assistant Commissioner David Mirfield said in a brief statement at the airport: "At 4 a.m., Police responded to the L.F. Wade International Airport where the Airport Security Police reported that a breach of security had occurred.

"They reported that a man was found in a restricted area without authority. A 31-year-old Warwick man was subsequently arrested by Police and is now in custody assisting with inquiries.

"An ongoing operation is underway at the airport involving the Police, Department of Airport Operations and other agencies to investigate this matter fully."

Mr. Mirfield would not give any other details about the incident and would not comment when asked whether the airport had a 24-hour Police presence.

The Cabinet Office said in a statement: "As per airport security procedures, the incident was immediately reported to senior airport officials and to the Bermuda Police Service.

"As a precautionary measure, two American Airlines' aircraft that were parked outside the terminal building were fully inspected by Bermuda Police officials before being deemed safe for travel.

"The safety checks resulted in two- and three-hour delays respectively for American's Miami and New York flights. There were no other flight disruptions caused."

Mr. Adderley stated: "While there was never any intelligence to suggest that the security breach was an attempt to do anything improper, we felt it necessary to do a drastic and methodical check of the two aircraft that were parked on the Apron before we felt it was safe to clear them for travel.

"While we certainly cannot recall having a breach of this sort in recent memory, we will investigate it thoroughly to ensure that measures are put in place to minimise the risk of it happening again."

Last night ZBM reporter Gary Moreno claimed several areas of the perimeter fencing could easily be breached. He demonstrated how a person could climb between gates and under holes in the fencing to get on to the tarmac at L. F. Wade International Airport.

Mr. Adderley commented on the move last night and said security officers were alerted to Mr. Moreno's presence. "I did get a report from security officers and Customs who actually saw him breach the fence line. They contacted the airport duty officer and myself, but by the time we got there he was gone."

He admitted that the fence has been damaged during storms and that there are "susceptible areas" and the airport does not have "the financial resources to fix them all at once".