Police have arrested a man in connection with the 1996 IRA bombing of Manchester. He was stopped at Birmingham Airport last night and held on suspicion of terrorism offences.
Greater Manchester Police today (Friday) revealed brief details of the arrest - the suspect remains in custody where he is being questioned by detectives.
Although nobody was killed in the blast, dozens were injured and the explosion on Corporation Street in devastated Manchester city centre and led to a hugely expensive rebuild.
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Today a statement from GMP said a man has been arrested last night at Birmingham Airport on suspicion of terrorism offences and remains in custody where he will be interviewed by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing for the North West (CTPNW).
"This arrest is in connection with enquiries into the IRA bomb detonation that shook Manchester City Centre in 1996," said the statement.
Detective Superintendent Andrew Meeks – Head of Investigations for Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said: "Although thankfully no-one was killed during the 1996 Manchester bombing by the IRA, 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.
"Following the arrest, we have contacted individuals who were victims of this horrific attack to ensure that they're updated, as we know for many people this will bring back memories of that terrible day and we are doing all we can to support our communities and those who were affected.
"Given the passage of time, and the number of people who were affected or injured by this atrocity, we sadly don't have the contact details for everyone so would encourage anyone who was affected that we haven't been able to reach to access the Major Incident Portal using this link: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP20S33-PO1."
"Anyone that leaves their details as someone who was affected will be contacted by a member of the investigation team as soon as possible
"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 via the Major Incident Portal."
The statement continued: "Communities defeat terrorism, and the help and support we get from the public is a vital part of that. So, we would urge everyone to remain vigilant, and if you do see anything suspicious then please report it, in confidence, to police via the Anti-terrorist hotline 0800 789 321 or gov.uk/ACT."
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