Boss of security firm at heart of Old Trafford fake bomb gaffe hits back as United stand firm on need for abandonment
The boss of the security firm at the centre of the fake bomb saga which forced the abandonment of Manchester United’s clash with Bournemouth has hit back by saying there was no need to evacuate the stadium.
Old Trafford was emptied 20 minutes prior to kick-off on Sunday after a suspect package, which transpired to be a mobile phone attached to piping, was found. Army bomb disposal experts subsequently carried out a controlled explosion.
Further examination revealed that the item in question was in fact a training device left behind by Security Search Management and Solutions Ltd following a training exercise for search dog handlers.
It has been confirmed that the device had been left in error, while its recovery had been signed for, along with 13 other items, by the contractor at the end of the exercise.
“Look, I’ll be honest, they didn’t need to evacuate the stadium,” Christopher Reid told The Telegraph. “It was an inanimate device.
“In the security world there is a lot of ticking boxes, just making sure that they have the numbers. There are numbers there doing what they are doing, but none of them are trained to a particularly high standard, which is not their fault.”
Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward defended the club’s actions after the security gaffe sparked fears of a terrorist attack.
“Once a live situation was identified, the club and police had no option but to treat the matter as a potential terror threat; we could not have assumed it was a training exercise error,” said Woodward. “Presented with the same situation in future, we would take the same action.”
The rearranged fixture is to be played tonight, for which both clubs can name completely different sides if they choose. United face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on Saturday, while only a 19-0 victory would see them finish in the top four.