Man U ‘bomb’ left over from a security drill
Fake device sparks stadium evacuation
THE alert that led to the evacuation of Manchester United’s ground descended into farce last night when it emerged that it was sparked by a fake bomb left behind from a security exercise.
Around 76,000 fans were ordered to leave Old Trafford minutes before the scheduled kick-off of the club’s final match of the season yesterday when an ‘incredibly lifelike explosive device’ was found.
But last night police confirmed that the ‘bomb’ was left at the stadium in error in the days leading up to the game on the final weekend of the Premier League season.
A security training exercise involving sniffer dogs was conducted at the ground by a private company and the device, designed to look authentic, was not removed.
Manchester United, which declined to comment, is investigating.
A mobile phone, reportedly strapped to pipes in a toilet block, was found by a staff member, leading to the code red alert at 2.40pm.
With the terror threat at ‘severe’, and in the light of last year’s Islamic State attack at a football stadium in Paris, Greater Manchester Police recommended a full evacuation.
The Army bomb squad carried out a controlled explosion around 5pm and police dogs scoured the stands amid fears of a second device.
The chaos was initially blamed on an elaborate hoax, and it is understood police were also investigating whether the fake bomb was a ‘sinister test’ by terrorists.
A security official who saw the device said: ‘It certainly did not look like something you would want to mess with.’
There was alarm in Whitehall throughout the afternoon yesterday as security officials tried to establish if the device was genuine. The scare comes less than a month before the Euro 2016 football tournament kicks off in France, with security sources fearful that it will become a target.
The discovery came only four days after it was revealed that dissident Irish republican groups are again plotting mainland terrorist attacks.
On Thursday, Home Secretary Theresa May raised the dissident republican threat – rated differently to that of IS and other terror groups – from ‘moderate’ to ‘substantial’.
A Whitehall source said: ‘Greater Manchester Police really didn’t have much choice but to do as they did, given the terror threat level. Football grounds are a target – look at what happened in Paris.’
Players from Manchester United and their opponents Bournemouth were warming up on the pitch when the alert was announced.
By 3pm all 76,000 fans had been safely evacuated. Four fire engines raced to Old Trafford and a controlled explosion was carried out around two hours later.
Initially, fans were told there would be a 45-minute delay, but police announced at around 3.20pm that the game had been cancelled.
The game has been rescheduled for Tuesday.
‘Police didn’t have much choice’