Man arrested in connection with Birmingham pub bombings is released

Twenty-one people died in explosions at the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town pubs Credit: ITV News

A man who was arrested in connection with the Birmingham pub bombings in 1974 has been released.

21 people died in the attack in which two bombs exploded in two pubs in the city centre on 21 November that year.

The aftermath of the fatal bomb attack on the Mulberry Bush pub in Birmingham. Credit: PA Images

Counter-terrorism police from the West Midlands, along with officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland arrested a 65-year-old man at his home in Belfast on Wednesday (18 November).

He has now been released and the investigation continues.

Detective Chief Superintendent Kenny Bell, head of Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands CTU, said: “We are committed to finding those responsible for the terrible murders of 21 innocent victims almost 46 years ago.

“Let me assure families of the victims and the people of Birmingham that we’re working relentlessly to find the bombers and bring them to justice."



Saturday will mark the 46th anniversary of the bombings and a convoy of vehicles will drive through Birmingham city centre this weekend in memory of the victims.

An inquest last year ruled the victims were unlawfully killed, but failed to establish who was responsible.

The Mulberry Bush pub in Birmingham, one of the two pubs where bombs exploded. Credit: PA Images

The hearings followed years of campaigning by the affected families calling for a full account into the events that happened that night.

Home Secretary, Priti Patel, last month said she would be considering a public inquiry into the bombings.

Six men - Hugh Callaghan, Paddy Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker - were wrongly jailed for life in 1975 for the bombings.

The so-called 'Birmingham SIx' had their convictions quashed in the appeal court and were released in 1991.


Read more about the Birmingham pub bombings here.