Thousands evacuated in Old Trafford bomb alert
Match abandoned after bomb scare at Old Trafford
TENS of thousands of fans were evacuated from a Premier League game at Old Trafford yesterday after a suspect mobile phone device was found strapped to a pipe.
It was blown up by an Army bomb disposal team who said it was a fake.
Manchester United’s home clash against Bournemouth – the last match of the season – was abandoned before kick-off after the suspicious device was found 30 minutes before kick-off.
Security workers are believed to have found the mobile phone on a pipe in a toilet block. At first the match was put back 45 minutes as two stands were evacuated.
But when a police adviser trained in identifying bombs warned that it could be real, it was decided to empty the 76,000-capacity stadium.
Police and club officials were on alert following last year’s Paris terrorist attacks. Then, 75,000 football fans were evacuated from Paris’s Stade de France during an international match after terrorists killed 130 people in the city.
Old Trafford had been covered with antishatter film after major sporting venues were warned they could be Islamist terror targets.
Among those evacuated was United captain Wayne Rooney’s wife Coleen and her children who had come to see him play.
Stewards were praised by fans for being the last to leave the stadium as they made sure no supporters were left behind.
Experts speculated that yesterday’s culprits could be a disgruntled employee or Irish republicans. MI5 last week warned that the threat level had been raised and there was a “strong possibility” of an attack on the British mainland from the New IRA or other Republican terrorists.
The suspect package was identified in the north-west corner of the ground but police sniffer dogs searched the rest of the stadium for secondary devices.
Confusion
It is the first time in its 24-year history that a Premier League game has been abandoned due to a terror alert.
The evacuation started at round 20 minutes before kick-off as security personnel announced “operation code red”. Shortly after 3pm officials confirmed the game was to be called off. Bomb disposal experts used a robot to help deal with the device.
Fan Thomas Temple, from Preston, Lancs, was sitting in the west stand and was told over a Tannoy they had to evacuate. He said: “It was all really calm, everyone felt fine but we were led out quickly and taken quite far away from the ground when we were outside. We knew instantly it was going to be a bomb scare.
“If it was a brawl the police would have been called, if it was a fight it would have been sorted. Just after kick-off the other stands began to evacuate and we knew at that point that the game was going to be abandoned.”
Bournemouth fan Steve Graham, 28, said there was confusion in the away stand with supporters who had travelled hundreds of miles to the game not told the match had been abandoned.
He said: “We heard rumours of a bomb and that the game was going to be called off.” Mr Graham, of Southampton, added: “We had no clue what was going on.
“The fans have been great though, we haven’t been nervous, we’ve just kept singing our songs and sticking together.”
Greater Manchester Police said: “Bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion at Old Trafford on what is described as incredibly lifelike explosive device. Full assessment now concluded and found device wasn’t viable.”
FOOTBALL was left in shock after Manchester United became the first Premier League club to have a game called off because of a terror alert.
Bomb disposal experts were called in to Old Trafford after a suspect package was found in the ground yesterday.
United will now re-stage the match against Bournemouth tomorrow night at 8pm. Holding it behind closed doors was considered but fans will be able to attend. Both clubs will announce their own ticketing arrangements.
Crisis talks were held to find a suitable date, with an official admitting it was “a logistical challenge”. United were not keen to play any later than tomorrow because boss Louis van Gaal wants at least three days to recover and prepare for the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday.
Playing it on Wednesday evening may have caused problems with UEFA, who would have frowned upon a domestic game being played at the same