Anti-terror police have swooped on one of the largest shopping centres in Britain - to practice for a Paris or Brussels-style terrorist attack. A mock ISIS strike was staged at the Trafford Centre in Manchester at midnight.
Members of the public have been told not to panic if they hear loud bangs or see emergency vehicles rushing towards the mall. Hundreds of volunteers played the role of shoppers involved in the staged 'attack' , the Manchester Evening News reported .
Dozens of officers from Greater Manchester Police , Merseyside Police, and the North West Counter Terrorism Unit raced to the scene to take action. They were assisted by Trafford Centre staff as well as the fire service and the North West Ambulance Service.
Read more : Shocking film that shows refugees fleeing from war-torn BRITAIN The exercise is part of a three-day operation taking place across the north west - dubbed Exercise Winchester Accord.
However, counter terrorism police say there is no specific threat against Trafford Centre, which has been chosen because the exercise can take place away from the public at that time of night.
Similar operations have taken place around the country including one involving 1,000 police officers in London last year.
More than 800 volunteers will take part in the counter terror operation by pretending to be shoppers
None of the emergency services taking part in the exercise nor the volunteers have been told precise details of the scenario which will unfold, although they know it will involve some sort of terrorist attack.
The Trafford Centre will be open for business as normal on Tuesday. Read more : Osama bin Laden’s son 'urges jihadists to travel to Syria to fight' in chilling new audio message
The exercise, which has been planned for five months, will continue until 6am on Tuesday at the Trafford Centre and then at other locations in the north west, concluding at Red Bank Community Home in Newton Le Willows on Wednesday.
Although the exercise is just staged, Manchester has suffered from the threat of terrorism in the past.
In 1996, an IRA bomb injured more than 200 people and devastated Manchester city centre.
Security services also thwarted an Al Qaida terrorist atrocity planned for Manchester’s Arndale Centre and St Ann’s Square at Easter in 2009.
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