Man arrested over 1996 IRA Manchester bombing

Man questioned after arrest at Birmingham Airport as police vow to ‘hold those responsible for this attack to account’

(PA)

A man has been arrested in connection with an IRA bombing that injured more than 200 people in Manchester.

The attack on 15 June 1996 struck Corporation Street in the heart of the city, and a telephone warning caused at least 75,000 people to be evacuated from the area before the lorry bomb was detonated.

Greater Manchester Police said a man was arrested on Thursday night at Birmingham Airport on suspicion of terror offences, and is being questioned by counter-terror police in custody.

Detective Superintendent Andrew Meeks, the head of investigations for Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said: “Although thankfully no-one was killed, hundreds of people were left with injuries - many of which were life-changing – and many more across Greater Manchester and the North West were affected by what happened on that day.

“We have always been committed to holding those responsible for the attack to account and bringing them to justice and have been reinvestigating for several years; with a team of dedicated detectives re-examining the original case files and pursuing new lines of inquiry.”

The bomb was the second largest to have exploded on mainland Britain during the IRA’s campaign, weighing 3,300lb. Local television stations received a telephone warning using a recognised IRA codeword at 10am and the bomb detonated an hour and 20 minutes later.

Police have contacted victims of the bombing and are offering them support as the investigation continues, encouraging anyone affected to leave their details on a dedicated website.

“We remain determined to hold those responsible for this attack to account regardless of the time passed and would still encourage anyone who has any information that could assist our enquiries to get in touch,” Det Supt Meeks added.

The bombing came amid waves of attacks by the IRA and splinter Irish republican groups that were carried out for decades across the UK.

Targets included military buildings, soldiers, pubs, the government, shops, banks and the BBC. Months before the Manchester bombing, two people had been killed by another attack in London’s Docklands area.