Man arrested over 1974 Birmingham bombings

LONDON: A 65-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday in connection with one of Britain’s worst terror atacks, the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings which killed 21 and let 182 others injured.

Six men were wrongly jailed for the bombings which tore through the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town pubs, which were blamed on the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).

But the conviction of the so-called “Birmingham Six” in 1975 was ruled unsafe by the Court of Appeal in 1991 and they were freed. No one has since been convicted.

West Midlands Police said counter-terrorism officers and colleagues from the Police Service of Northern Ireland detained the man at his home in Belfast.

“The man was arrested under the Terrorism Act and a search of his home is being carried out,” the force said in a statement.

“He will be interviewed under caution at a police station in Northern Ireland.”

The twin atacks in the heart of Britain’s second city on November 21, 1974 came during rising violence against British rule in Northern Ireland. The IRA has never claimed responsibility. Inquests began last year to re-examine the deaths in Birmingham ater claims police failed to heed two warnings of an impending atack — one 11 days before, the second on the day.

The original inquests — judicial fact-finding investigations that do not apportion blame — were halted by the police probe that led to the conviction of the “Birmingham Six”.

A jury at the resumed inquest concluded the victims were unlawfully killed and the IRA was responsible, but that there were no police failings.

Families of the victims have since been pushing for a full public inquiry into what happened.

Julie Hambleton, whose 18-year-old sister Maxine died in the bombings, described Wednesday’s arrest as a “monumental moment” in the criminal investigation. She said she was “inconsolable” when police informed her of the development.

“It’s welcome news. It’s overwhelming news. It’s tangible progress,” she said but added that whatever happened, a full public inquiry was still needed.