LONDON - Britain allowed the rescheduled Grand National steeplechase to go ahead last month in the presence of then prime minister, Mr John Major, Princess Anne and 20,000 others despite IRA bomb warnings, the Mail on Sunday reported yesterday. The story was partially confirmed by police on Merseyside.
On April 5th, police received 25 telephone calls, some from people using an IRA codeword, warning that bombs had been planted on the Aintree racecourse. Some 70,000 racegoers were evacuated while police undertook a massive search of the course, finding nothing.
But the authorities, determined that the IRA should not force the cancellation of the event, decided the race would be run on April 7th.