Police seek bus bombers

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33452, 6 February 1974, Page 11

Police seek bus bombers

.V 7 F A Renter— Copyright l I.O.XDOX, February 5. Policemen \isiled several homes in north-west England during the night in their search lor the bombers who blew up a bus in 'l orkshirc y esterday morning. killing II people, but no arrests have been reported.

Responsibly for the blast, which ripped apart a bus (carrying 56 soldiers and their families back to camps in the inorth from leave in the Manchester area, has been placed (on Irish extremists: the (Secertary of State for De fence (Mr lan Gilmour) said on a radio interview: “I believe that the Irish Republican Army was to blame.” The main centre of the police investigation is the bus terminal, the Chorlton Street coach park in Manchester, where waiting passengers may have seen the bombefs place the 501 b of explosives —packed in a suitcase or parcel—into the back of the coach. The police ha\e alreadyissued the descriptions of seven people seen near the vehicle. One was seen earning a black briefcase, another had long sideburns, and others sought for questioning include three West Indians who were accompanied by three white girls. The blast has renewed fears that a new bombing campaign by Irish extremists has begun in Britain. A leading member of the Provisional wing of the 1.R.A., James Brown, who was arrested last week-end. is expected to be questioned closely about the Yorkshire blast. He is thought to have attended a meeting of the Provisional’s leadership near Dublin last month, when an escalation of the bombing campaign in Britain was discussed. The explosion provoked demands in Parliament yester-day-that Irish citizens'entering Britain must carry

identification and passports At present, none aie required Mr Gilmour said that the subject was under review