A passenger said between 20 and 30 armed police officers stormed his train to hunt for two men they believed were carrying weapons.
Police were called to Manchester Victoria station at 9.14am on Wednesday (October 12) after receiving reports of two men carrying weapons on a train. The Manchester Evening News understands the affected train was a TransPennine Express service from Liverpool Lime Street to Leeds.
The passenger, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Manchester Evening News armed officers raided the train in a "tense' encounter, shouting at passengers to remove headphones as they searched. More officers carrying guns and shields surrounded the train on the platform.
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The passenger said the train pulled into Manchester Victoria as normal, but he then saw three armed officers on the platform with "guns trained in front of them". He said: "That initial shock was there. Then as I looked around, mirroring them on the platform were another group of four with the bulletproof shield and weapons out."
He said officers shouted at passengers to remove headphones and asked them to remain seated as they checked under every seat. The passenger believed there were between 20 and 30 armed police present as the train was searched.
He added: "The toilet was occupied and they demanded it be opened." Passengers and officers waited for the door to open, but the toilet was occupied by a member of rail staff, and the search continued.
The passenger said: "As quick as they [police] came through the carriage another group came behind them. The station was cleared and I started to realise no other trains had come in and the platforms were empty."
At the station, commuters were forced to evacuate after armed officers entered through multiple access points and cleared the entire station.
The passenger added: "It didn't feel like a drill. It felt real. It does put you on edge. I saw them [police] all come running in, I've been here for drills before and this felt different. We were evacuated for around 45 minutes. Nobody told us what was happening."
Another eyewitness said they saw armed police entering the station through one of the exits closest to the ticket barriers, before "congregating" at that end of the station and running up the stairs towards platforms four and five.
He told the M.E.N : "Some of them were armed and some of them had shields. They weren't messing around. We were asked to leave and the entire station was shut off to the public."
Yesterday, a British Transport Police spokesperson said: "Officers were called to Manchester Victoria station at 9.14am today (12 October) following reports of two men possibly carrying weapons on a train service.
"Armed police attended and conducted a full search of the train and area, however there was no trace of the two men. The report was made in good faith and enquiries are ongoing."
The ECHO has contacted TransPennine Express for comment.
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