Manchester remembers 1996 IRA bombing 25 years on

There are calls for those behind the IRA bomb blast in Manchester in 1996 to apologise as the city marks 25 years since the devastating attack.

CCTV captures the moment two men parked a lorry on double yellow lines outside Marks and Spencer's and the Arndale just before 9.20am. It was loaded more than 3,000lbs of explosives.

Police then had the huge job of evacuating tens of thousands of people whilst trying to locate and disable the explosive.

The bomb went off just after 11am. Thankfully no-one died, but hundreds of people were injured and it's thought nearly every building within a half-mile radius was damaged as glass was shattered and thrown up into the air.

The red post box outside Marks and Spencer still stands as a symbol of defiance.

Councillor Pat Karney, who was living in the Northern Quarter at the time, remembers being told to evacuate by a police helicopter - and ended up near Market Street as the bomb went off: "I actually personally thought we were going to die - we thought there were bombs everywhere.

"We were so close to hundreds of people being killed. Hundreds of people were running up Market Street screaming and fearing for their lives. I still hear them to this day. We all thought we were going to be killed.

"I can remember all of the vividly - even 25 years on. Until the day I die I'll remember that vividly. I know what Mancunians went through - the trauma and fear they had - hundreds thought they were going to die."

Pat Karney wants those responsible to apologise for what happened: "At least on a human level they should say sorry to everyone in Manchester.

"The people that they injured, the devastation that they caused - they should apologise before they die.

"They've never been caught after 25 years. But they should say sorry before they die because they nearly killed hundreds of us."

'It would be wrong to see it as some sort of turning point in the city's history'

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “The city centre has been transformed in the quarter of a century since the IRA bomb went off.

“Hardly anyone lived in the city centre back then. Now tens of thousands of people call it their home.

“We’ve seen the number of jobs based here grow dramatically too so that one in five jobs in Greater Manchester are now located in central Manchester.

“We’ve seen the city centre expand too, with new districts such as Spinningfields, First Street and NOMA, the evolution of the Northern Quarter and the emergence of Ancoats and New Islington.

“We’ve also witnessed the birth of exciting new cultural venues and events, and the reinvigoration of existing ones.

“This regeneration journey was already underway in 1996 and continues today, even as we begin to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. While some plans were accelerated as a result of the damage caused by the IRA bomb, it would be wrong to see it as some sort of turning point in the city’s history.

“Our thoughts today are with the more than 200 people who were hurt and those who suffered hardship as a result of the attack. We remain thankful that nobody was killed.”