Wirral man arrested over anti-tank mines theft (From Wirral Globe)

Wirral man arrested over anti-tank mines theft

1:00pm Monday 29th October 2012 in News

A BIRKENHEAD man has been arrested on suspicion of theft after anti-tank mines were stolen from a freight train.

All of the outstanding munitions have now been safely recovered.

Two arrests were made shortly after 11pm on Sunday.

A 29-year-old man was arrested in Birkenhead by the North-West Counter Terrorism Unit and a 31-year-old man was arrested in Sheffield by officers from the North-East Counter Terrorism Unit.  

Both remain in custody.

The MoD-owned munitions were on a train when it left Longtown in Cumbria at approximately 11.30am on Wednesday 24 October 2012.

Ten packages, each containing four separate plastic cases, were initially reported stolen to the British Transport Police, shortly after 7.30am on Thursday 25 October when the train arrived at Didcot, Oxfordshire.

Seven of the packages were found near a railway line in the Folley Lane area of Warrington, Cheshire, following extensive and targeted searching by dedicated police search teams.

The three outstanding packages, which are made up of a total of 12 plastic cases, were safely recovered by specially trained Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officers from an address in Birkenhead.

As part of ongoing enquiries led by the North-West Counter Terrorism Unit, a number of addresses in Birkenhead and Sheffield are being searched.

This co-ordinated investigation, which remains ongoing, also includes the Metropolitan Police Service, British Transport Police and MoD.

Officers are still appealing for information and anyone who can help is asked to call police on 0161 856 1027 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.