Britain Reviews Private Flights at Stansted Airport in Connection with Epstein
London (ANTARA) - British police are reviewing information regarding private flights in and out of Stansted Airport, London, following the release of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by the United States Department of Justice.
"We are assessing information that has emerged regarding private flights to and from Stansted Airport following the publication of the Epstein files by the US Department of Justice," said an Essex Police spokesperson in a statement reported on Tuesday (17/2).
The BBC reported that although police are reviewing the information, it may not necessarily lead to a full investigation.
In December, a BBC investigation found that 87 flights linked to Epstein arrived at or departed from airports in Britain between the early 1990s and 2018.
The police announcement came after former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stated that the documents showed how Epstein was able to use the aviation hub in Essex to "fly girls from Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia."
Last week, Brown wrote in the New Statesman that police needed to urgently review whether Epstein's victims were trafficked within or outside Britain.
Brown also sent letters to police chiefs and the commissioners of the Metropolitan, Essex, and Thames Valley police forces.
"All private aircraft at London Stansted operate through independent fixed-base operators, which handle all aspects of private and corporate aviation in accordance with regulatory requirements," Stansted Airport said in a statement quoted by the BBC.
The airport stressed that the terminals were "entirely independent" and that "no private jet passengers enter the main airport terminal."
"The airport does not manage or have access to passenger arrangements on privately operated aircraft," it added.
On 30 January, the US Department of Justice released more than 3 million pages of documents, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law last November.
The material includes grand jury transcripts and investigation records, although many pages remain redacted.
Survivors and families of Epstein's victims stated that the release did not meet the requirements of the legislation and still omitted significant information.
Epstein was found dead by suicide in a New York City prison in 2019 whilst awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls.
"We are assessing information that has emerged regarding private flights to and from Stansted Airport following the publication of the Epstein files by the US Department of Justice," said an Essex Police spokesperson in a statement reported on Tuesday (17/2).
The BBC reported that although police are reviewing the information, it may not necessarily lead to a full investigation.
In December, a BBC investigation found that 87 flights linked to Epstein arrived at or departed from airports in Britain between the early 1990s and 2018.
The police announcement came after former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stated that the documents showed how Epstein was able to use the aviation hub in Essex to "fly girls from Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia."
Last week, Brown wrote in the New Statesman that police needed to urgently review whether Epstein's victims were trafficked within or outside Britain.
Brown also sent letters to police chiefs and the commissioners of the Metropolitan, Essex, and Thames Valley police forces.
"All private aircraft at London Stansted operate through independent fixed-base operators, which handle all aspects of private and corporate aviation in accordance with regulatory requirements," Stansted Airport said in a statement quoted by the BBC.
The airport stressed that the terminals were "entirely independent" and that "no private jet passengers enter the main airport terminal."
"The airport does not manage or have access to passenger arrangements on privately operated aircraft," it added.
On 30 January, the US Department of Justice released more than 3 million pages of documents, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law last November.
The material includes grand jury transcripts and investigation records, although many pages remain redacted.
Survivors and families of Epstein's victims stated that the release did not meet the requirements of the legislation and still omitted significant information.
Epstein was found dead by suicide in a New York City prison in 2019 whilst awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls.