22 May 2008 Exeter Bombing
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| 22 May 2008 Attempted Princesshay Bombing | |
|---|---|
 Police line the streets of Exeter after the bomb goes off in Princesshay. |
|
| Location | Exeter, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Date | May 22, 2008 12:50 (UTC+1) |
| Attack type | Suicide bombings |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 1 |
| Perpetrator(s) | Nicky Reilly & other unnamed culprits. |
The Exeter Bombing was an attempted suicide attack, which happened on the 22nd May 2008, at the Giraffe cafe and restaurant in Princesshay, Exeter. The bomber, Nicky Reilly, was the only person immediately involved in the attack, and subsequently the only person injured.[1]
Contents |
[edit] The Attack
The attack took place at 12:50 (local time) in which the bomber was in a locked cubicle in the Giraffe cafe and restaurant, in Princesshay shopping centre, Exeter. Witnesses in and around the restaurant report hearing a loud bang. Most dismissed the bang, thinking it was coming from a building site near the cafe. Others report the bomb sounding like a light bulb exploding: "It is my impression they sounded more like gunshots than a bomb, like a lightbulb exploding" [1] Immediately, police arrived on the scene and the restaurant was evacuated.
[edit] Evacuation
After the restaurant was evacuated, police thought it nessacary to evacuate the immediate area in the fear of another device. This cordon was originally confinded to the Princesshay area. Over the coming hours, the cordon stretched to include the whole of the City Centre, from the bottom of High Street to Sidwell Street. Another device was found in the vicinity of the cafe, but was disabled by a bomb disposal team.[2]
[edit] Timeline
The attack and the aftermath happened over several days, therefore is split into day-by-day.[2]
[edit] Thursday 22nd May
- 10.20am Nicky Reilly boarded a double-decker Stagecoach bus number X38 in Bretonside bus station, Plymouth bound for Paris street Exeter.[3]
- 12:05pm Reilly arrives in Exeter.[3]
- 12.50pm Police and ambulance services receive calls from members of the public reporting that a man has been injured in an explosion at the Giraffe cafe and restaurant in Princesshay.
- 1pm A 100m cordon is established and police begin a full evacuation of the area.
- 1.40pm Police confirm it is believed an explosion has occurred.
- 2pm The injured man is taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
- 2.20pm Bomb disposal officers arrive at the scene with sniffer dogs.
- 3pm The city centre, including Princesshay, the High Street, Paris Street and part of Sidwell Street, is cordoned off and evacuated by the police.
- 3.25pm Police confirm that a man is in custody following the explosion.
- 4.15pm Bomb disposal experts prepare to enter the Giraffe restaurant. Police reveal they have been called to three other reports of suspicious devices in the city centre - at Primark, McDonald's and on a bicycle - but all have been found to be false alarms.
- 5.15pm Forensic officers begin to examine the Giraffe restaurant after bomb disposal experts declare the scene safe.
- 6.50pm Police reveal two devices have been found, one of which exploded and another that was made safe.
- 7pm A phased lifting of the cordons begins and workers are allowed to return to shops and offices within the exclusion zone to collect their belongings, six hours after they were evacuated. Motorists are also able to retrieve their cars from the car parks in Princesshay and Southernhay
[edit] Friday 23rd May
- 12:00pm The police and business leaders hold a press conference regarding the previous days events.[2]
- 12:47 The police reveal CCTV images of Reilly and appeal for witnesses on the X38 bus from Plymouth Bretonside to Paris Street bus station, Exeter.[2]
- ~1:00pm A bomb disposal team arrive at Reilly's home in Plymouth as police investigate his flat.[4]
- ~14:00 Part of Plymouth is sealed off after a suspect package is found. It is later found not to be a threat.[5]
- ~15:00 Armed police targeted two men who were drinking at the Bagatelle cafe in Plymouth city centre. One man was arrested and the other is said to be helping police.[5][4]
[edit] Saturday 24th May
- ~11:00 Businesses reveal that custom is back to normal. All shops in both cities involved report custom, back to normal depsite Thursdays attack.[6]
[edit] Monday 26th May
[edit] The Aftermath
With the immensity of the cordon set up around the bomb site, many disruptions took place. Not only were shops along the High street shut, but main bus operator in the city Stagecoach Devon had to re-route their buses causing the whole city to become chaotic. Also the cities bus station which lies a small distance away from the site – was also evacuated.[9] Many hours after the attack, resulted in the evening of 22 May when the cordon, which had stretched to include Exeter Bus station, being reduced and many roads surrounding the shopping centre re-opened.[9] On the Friday, all shops - except the restaurant involved, were re-opened as usual.[10] The estimated cost to the economy of the day's events is believed to be £2.5million.[11]
[edit] Investigations
A team of about 20 specialists (including forensic officers, intelligence experts and detectives) from Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism branch SO15, was brought in to help the Devon and Cornwall Police constabulary with their investigations.[3] Soon after the arrest police began searching at the Muslim Community Centre in St Jude's, Plymouth.[12]
[edit] Arrests
Since the explosion in Exeter there has been a total of four arrests in connection with the explosion. Under the Terrorism Act 2006 a person arrested under terrorism can be detained in Police custody for 28 days without being charged.[13]
[edit] Nicky Reilly
Reilly aged 22 lived in Plymouth with his mother and caught the bus to Exeter. Reilly had adopted the Islamic faith (changing his name to Mohammed Rasheed).[3] Reilly, has spent time detained in a mental health hospital and has the mental age of a 10-year-old.[14] He is believed to have Asperger’s syndrome, and may also suffer from schizophrenia.[14] He was possibly "preyed upon" and "radicalised" into detonating a bomb in Exeter.[15][3]
[edit] Other Arrests
On Friday 23 May there was an evacuation of Plymouth City Centre in which armed police arrested another person. Another person was deatained and is helping police with their enquiries, but is no longer held in police custody[5][16] At 17:30 on 28 May a fourth man was arrested for questioning.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Man held after city centre blast", The BBC, 2008-05-22. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
- ^ a b c d "Explosion update: Forensic team study two devices", The Express & Echo, 2008-05-23. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
- ^ a b c d e "Exeter bomb loaded with chemicals", The BBC, 2008-05-23. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
- ^ a b "Pair still questioned over blast", The BBC, 2008-05-24. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
- ^ a b c "Area of city sealed off in bomb investigation", The Herald, 2008-05-23. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
- ^ "Back in business after one terrible day", The Express & Echo, 2008-05-24. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
- ^ "Exeter blast suspect in custody", The BBC, 2008-05-26. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
- ^ "2PM update: Reailly out of hospital", The Express & Echo, 2008-05-26. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
- ^ a b "3pm update: Bus station evacuated as cordon enlarged", The Express & Echo, 2008-05-22. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
- ^ "It's business as usual after city bomb explosion", The Express & Echo, 2008-05-24. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
- ^ "Explosion update: Cost to business estimated at £2.5M", The Express & Echo, 2008-05-23. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
- ^ a b "Third man quizzed over explosion", The BBC, 2008-05-28. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ Terrorism Act 2006. The Home Office. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ a b "MI5 fears jihadis will use mentally ill as suicide bombers", The Times, 2008-05-25. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
- ^ "Blast suspect was 'radicalised'", The BBC, 2008-05-23. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
- ^ "Two quizzed over restaurant blast", The BBC, 2008-05-23. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
[edit] External Links
