POLICE swooped on a plane at Heathrow after a race against time to arrest a man suspected of abducting a four-year-old girl.
The jet had to be halted on the tarmac moments before it was due to fly to Bucharest, Romania.
Officers stormed the plane and arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of child abduction in front of stunned passengers.
Thankfully, the youngster, who is known to the suspect, was returned safely to her panicked mum.
Nottinghamshire Police received a report of a man taking the girl without permission on Thursday at 4.57pm.
They managed to track his car using automatic number plate recognition cameras to Heathrow Airport.
'RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK'
Officers then established he was booked on the flight to Romania, which was due to leave at 6pm.
Detective Sergeant Ruth Walke, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "When the report came in it was a race against the clock to find them.
"This was fantastic work by a whole host of officers and detectives across multi-agencies from Nottinghamshire and the Met Police.
"The plane was taxiing ready for take-off, but we were able to get there just in time before it took flight.
"The plane then returned to the terminal and the man was arrested.
"This was a hugely complex and challenging case, with its obvious pressures.
"I'd like to praise the team of detectives for their commitment and dedication to the investigation.
"If it wasn't for the swift coordinated multi-agency response there may have been a very different outcome."
The man was questioned by detectives before being released on police bail.
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