Three explosions went off within 25 minutes at Paris' two airport today (Sunday 27 September) and at Heathrow airport in London a piece of hand luggage exploded in the passenger terminal.

At Orly airport, the first explosion went off in a luggage locker shortly after noon (local time). Airport workers arrived on the scene and as they forced the lock on another locker, a more powerful blast went off in the same row of lockers.

One of the workers was hit in the head by flying splinters but he was not believed to be seriously injured. The blest shattered at least six lockers. More serious injuries were avoided because the force of the blast went upwards blowing a hole in the ceiling.

At Le Bourget airport a suitcase which had been held back from an Iberia Airlines flight exploded and slightly hurt an air hostess standing nearby. The suitcase had been held back because no passenger had come forward to identify it -- one of the current security measures in operation at the airport.

An Aer Lingus (Eire) bag containing some form of fire compound exploded at Heathrow airport passenger terminal causing some damage but no one was injured.

Alerted by an anonymous telephone call, Airport police arrived in time to hear a detonation and see the flames, which were quickly extinguished. The flight bag was on a wooden bench near Barclays Bank branch at the terminal. The bench was severely scorched but plate glass nearby was undamaged.

Police sealed off the area and Major Henderson -- a Police Forensic expert -- took away what was thought to be the remains of a magnesium bomb.

The explosion at London's Heathrow airport also happened about mid-day, but there is thought to be no connection between the London and Paris explosions.