A man who was arrested in connection with the 1996 Manchester IRA bombing has been released without charge.
He was held on suspicion of terrorism at Birmingham airport on Thursday and has now been released from custody, Greater Manchester police said. The man was interviewed by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North West.
The head of investigations, Det Supt Andrew Meeks, 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.”
He added: “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 inquiries to get in touch via the major incident portal.”
No one was killed in the blast but about 200 people were injured, in what was described as the UK mainland’s largest bombing since the second world war.
There have been no charges over the attack on 15 June 1996. Thousands of shoppers and football fans had gathered in the city centre before a Euro 96 match that day between England and Scotland at London’s Wembley Stadium.
The area was evacuated after a telephoned bomb threat. The 3,300lb device detonated soon after in a lorry parked on Corporation Street, near the Arndale shopping centre.
The bomb caused significant damage to Manchester city centre, and the area has since been transformed and undergone a multimillion-pound rebuild.
