Heathrow's T4 evacuated

LONDON (Reuters) - Terminal 4 at London's Heathrow airport was being evacuated on Tuesday after a suspicious package was found, passengers said.

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"The tannoy is telling everyone to evacuate the terminal. They're saying a suspect package has been found," one passenger told Reuters.

Officials at the airport confirmed a suspect bag had been found and said all passengers were now being searched.

"In response to a suspect bag in Terminal 4, secondary searches are now being carried out on departing passengers," BAA, which manages the airport, said in a statement.

"Contingency plans have now been activated," it said. "We are working with the police to bring a swift resolution to the incident."

A Reuters witness at the airport said the whole of the departure area of Terminal 4 had been evacuated and passengers were being told to go to the arrivals section.

"Several thousand people are now out in the car park and security staff are saying that all baggage is going to have to go through checks again," a passenger said.

Britain security threat level has been set at "critical" since two car bombs were found in central London on Friday and members of a suspected al-Qaeda cell attacked an airport in Scotland on Saturday. Eight people have been arrested in Britain and Australia in connection with the bomb plot.