Two questioned over theft of anti-tank mines from munitions train

29 Oct 2012 By Telegraph reporters - Telegraph News

Two men were being questioned by anti-terror police today after the theft of munitions from a freight train.

Ten packages containing what are reported to be anti-tank mines used by British troops in Afghanistan were believed to have been stolen while the train stopped in Warrington, Cheshire.

All of the munitions have now been safely recovered.

The North West Counter Terrorism Unit (NWCTU), which is leading the investigation, has said it does not believe the theft was terror-related.

Both arrests were made shortly after 11pm last night, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

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

Both suspects remain in custody for questioning, a spokesman for GMP said.

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

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

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

A spokesman for GMP said: "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 inquiries 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."