MANCHESTER police are confident they will be able to release today detailed descriptions of those responsible for bombing the city centre at the weekend.
Speaking at the scene of the blast yesterday, Greater Manchester Assistant Chief Constable, Mr Colin Phillips, said he hoped to be able to announce "significant developments" in the investigation after officers had finished questioning a taxi driver who delivered cash for a man with an Irish accent to buy the lorry used in the bombing.
"We are very hopeful we may have some descriptions of the people we can release tomorrow. Hopefully we will have some sort of description at least of the person who handed the money to the taxi driver. We are obviously speaking to everyone in connection with the vehicle and the transport of the money. We will have some significant developments to report in the morning," he said.
Mr Phillips said police were assuming that a "team carried out this atrocity".
The taxi driver came forward yesterday following an urgent police appeal. He delivered stg £2,000 for an Irishman to a Peterborough car dealer who owned the lorry on Friday afternoon, less than 24 hours before, the bomb exploded. The Irishman instructed the dealer to leave the vehicle, unlocked, in a lorry park in Peterborough.
It is understood that the taxi driver, who is from Peterborough but has not been named, has sought legal advice and according to his family is worried about his personal safety because of his unwitting involvement in the attack.
The car dealer, Mr Arthur Loveridge, is also being questioned by police, although the Irishman never examined the lorry or met him. "I would stress they are being interviewed as witnesses," stated Mr Phillips.
A team of Manchester officers travelled to Peterborough yesterday hoping to trace the lorry's route to Manchester by examining motorway video footage and following up the numerous possible sightings of the van. "We" have masses of video tape from various locations throughout the country and we are very hopeful," added Mr Phillips.
Out of the 206 people injured in the bombing, only a handful still remain in hospital suffering from cuts and broken limbs. As the outer cordon of the city was reopened, Manchester businessmen appealed for financial help from the British government. The estimated £100 million cost of the damage is expected to rise after the assessors complete their estimations.