Birmingham terror threat 'removed'

Last updated at 15:19 11 July 2005


A "real and credible" threat which led to the evacuation of Birmingham city centre over the weekend had been "removed", police have said.

Chief Superintendent Peter Goodman, of West Midlands Police, refused to answer questions about the nature of the threat but said it had been "dealt with effectively".

The officer told reporters assembled at the Council House in Birmingham: "There was a real threat to the lives of people in the centre in Birmingham.

"The threat was to all the entertainment areas in the city centre. I am satisfied that, with the Chief Constable, that threat has now been removed. We have dealt with effectively with that threat."

The officer, flanked by representatives from the emergency services, local businesses and civic leaders, praised more than 200 police officers and 50 special constables who helped evacuate an estimated 20,000 people from the city centre on Saturday evening within an hour.

He also confirmed that one of the suspect packages investigated by the bomb squad during the alert was was later found to be a fireworks device used in theatrical productions.

He said a man had been interviewed in connection with the discovery of a box with wires and a switch at a hotel in Broad Street but that no action would be taken against him.

The evacuation is thought to have cost local bars, clubs and restaurants an estimated £1million in lost revenue.

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