2 explosions jolt northern England; no one injured

Officials blame IRA

April 18, 1997
Web posted at: 8:57 a.m. EDT (1257 GMT)

LONDON (CNN) -- Two small explosions and a series of suspected IRA bomb threats disrupted road and rail traffic throughout northern England's morning rush hour Friday. There were no injuries.

The explosions jolted railway stations in Doncaster and Leeds.

(1M/29 sec. QuickTime movie- Investigators search for bombs)

Staffordshire police said they carried out two controlled explosions at Stoke-on-Trent railway station, about 65 miles south of Leeds. The first was to open the station door and the second to destroy a suspect package stuffed in the corner of a pedestrian underpass between two platforms, said Inspector Tony Ellis.

No group claimed immediate responsibility for the blasts. But British Prime Minister John Major opposition Labour Party leader Tony Blair blamed the Irish Republican Army, accusing the outlawed group of trying to disrupt May 1 elections.

"This looks very much at the moment as if this is the work of the IRA, showing their usual contempt for people's lives and property," Major said.

British Prime Minister John Major
"...the IRA are still determined to use violence here on the mainland in Britain." (349K/30 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)
" A vote for Sinn Fein is a vote for the IRA." (374K/31 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

Blair, whose party has a 20-point lead in opinion polls, said, "They're quite plainly an attempt to disrupt the election and the election campaign and they will not succeed."

Caller phoned in bomb threats

The first explosion took place in a cabinet containing signaling equipment at Leeds railway station, according to Railtrack, the operator of Britain's privatized railways.

Many trains had been diverted there because there had been no bomb threats phoned in there.

"The whole building shuddered. I knew it was a bomb immediately," said Leeds station cleaning supervisor Steven Dodd.

Police immediately evacuated the station after the explosion and sealed off a large part of the city's downtown.

The second device exploded shortly afterward near North Bridge in Doncaster, close to the railway station, South Yorkshire police said.

Police said rail stations in Stoke, Doncaster and Crewe were closed early Friday after a caller phoned in bomb threats. They said the caller gave a code word known to be used by the IRA.

The main M-6 motorway was closed near Staffordshire and also near Manchester, Britain's second-largest city.

After the explosions and bomb threats, gridlock gripped the region, disrupting the main north-south rail lines in Britain on both the east and west coasts. Traffic on the M-6 was backed up for miles. Police and rail officials urged travelers to stay home.

IRA bomb campaigns

Earlier this month, the IRA claimed responsibility for a bomb hoax that delayed the running of the Grand National steeplechase, Britain's premiere horse race. The group was also blamed for two bombs found under the M-6 on April 3 in central England.

The IRA, which is battling to end Britain's rule of Northern Ireland, also claimed responsibility for two explosions last month that went off near Wilmslow railway station in northwest England.

Reuters contributed to this report.

 

Related stories:

• British soldier injured in Northern Ireland bomb blast - January 26, 1997
• 2 explosions in Northern Ireland; no injuries - January 20, 1997
• New blasts blunt hopes for peace in Northern Ireland - January 7, 1997
• IRA targets Belfast court building - January 6, 1997
• Blast rocks Belfast court building - January 6, 1997

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