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Armed officers swooped on a 72-year-old man at Terminal 5 after a 999 call to police that he had a bomb and planned "to blow something up".
Earlier another armed police unit was deployed to Oxford railway station and officers from the British Transport Police also launched a major operation to trace the suspected "bomber".
However, today a man in his thirties, who is believed to be in a civil partnership with the pensioner, was arrested in connection with the scare at Heathrow yesterday.
He was being questioned by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of making a hoax phone call to the emergency services claiming that his partner had a bomb.
A source said: "Someone gave the man's name and said that he had a bomb in his bag and was on his way to blow something up. He did not specify what.
"These allegations have to be taken seriously and precautions needed to be taken. Once the man at Heathrow was stopped and searched he was quickly ruled out."
Officers from Thames Valley first responded to a 999 call saying the older man was on his way to Oxford railway station armed with a bomb.
Armed police swooped on the station at about 11am yesterday but he had already caught a train to London.
BTP officers were then put on alert but the man was not identified until he reached Heathrow.
Passengers and staff were evacuated from a section of the building and the terminal was closed for more than an hour at about 1pm yesterday while police searched the man's bags.
The man was arrested before he had gone through security at Terminal 5 but some planes were delayed by the scare.
Officers said the younger man faces prosecution for wasting police time and making a false claims about a bomb.
A source said: "We take a very serious view about this sort of thing. Three police forces deployed significant numbers of officers and this event had an impact on people's lives."
Heathrow luggage shop worker Sanju Ghale said stores were ordered to close and staff told to leave the building. She added: "We didn't know what was going on. We were so worried."
By Justin Davenport, Crime Editor
Heathrow bomb alert caused by hoax phone call after gay lovers' tiff | News
Earlier another armed police unit was deployed to Oxford railway station and officers from the British Transport Police also launched a major operation to trace the suspected "bomber".
However, today a man in his thirties, who is believed to be in a civil partnership with the pensioner, was arrested in connection with the scare at Heathrow yesterday.
He was being questioned by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of making a hoax phone call to the emergency services claiming that his partner had a bomb.
A source said: "Someone gave the man's name and said that he had a bomb in his bag and was on his way to blow something up. He did not specify what.
"These allegations have to be taken seriously and precautions needed to be taken. Once the man at Heathrow was stopped and searched he was quickly ruled out."
Officers from Thames Valley first responded to a 999 call saying the older man was on his way to Oxford railway station armed with a bomb.
Armed police swooped on the station at about 11am yesterday but he had already caught a train to London.
BTP officers were then put on alert but the man was not identified until he reached Heathrow.
Passengers and staff were evacuated from a section of the building and the terminal was closed for more than an hour at about 1pm yesterday while police searched the man's bags.
The man was arrested before he had gone through security at Terminal 5 but some planes were delayed by the scare.
Officers said the younger man faces prosecution for wasting police time and making a false claims about a bomb.
A source said: "We take a very serious view about this sort of thing. Three police forces deployed significant numbers of officers and this event had an impact on people's lives."
Heathrow luggage shop worker Sanju Ghale said stores were ordered to close and staff told to leave the building. She added: "We didn't know what was going on. We were so worried."
By Justin Davenport, Crime Editor
Heathrow bomb alert caused by hoax phone call after gay lovers' tiff | News
