City centre flats raided by armed anti-terror police
ARMED POLICE and officers clad in full protective gear have raided a block of flats close to Manchester Piccadilly Station in connection with the arena attack.
Greater Manchester Police said a woman had been arrested in connection with the Manchester Arena attack.
Residents of Granby House, on Granby Row in the centre of the city, described how an explosion was heard and fire alarms sounded as the building was stormed yesterday.
The railway line behind the block was briefly closed as the raid began but has since reopened, Greater Manchester Police said.
The third-floor flat at the centre of the investigation was believed to have been rented out on Airbnb, residents said.
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said: “Officers have carried out a search at an address in Manchester city centre as part of the investigation into the horrific incident at Manchester Arena.
“That search is ongoing. In order to do this safely we briefly closed a railway line, but it has now been reopened.”
Resident Lynne Deakin said she knew the owner of the flat which was advertised on rental site Airbnb.
The 53-year-old, who lives on the ground floor, told how she turned off the fire alarm after it was set off and headed upstairs, where she saw five or six “army” officers outside the raided flat.
“I’d gone up the stairs ... I was at one end of the corridor and they were at the other through a fire door,” she said.
“So one of the guys came out and he said ‘get downstairs’.
“It was the proper guys that I’ve seen on the TV with the balaclavas and the big helmets.”
She added that she was “not at all surprised” by the raid.
“I’ve often said, if I wanted to take out Piccadilly Station, because the line is right at the back, I would put a bomb in that building,” she said.
Louise Bolotin, a freelance journalist who lives in the block of flats, fled downstairs after hearing the fire alarm go off.
She said: “I came running down the front staircase, six floors, and got to the front entrance and was met by a police officer in full-on tactical helmet, face mask, machine gun.
“I was expecting to see the fire brigade.”