vehicles rushing towards the mall. Hundreds of volunteers played the role of shoppers involved in the staged 'attack' , the Manchester Evening News reported .
Shoppers' drop to the floor
The 'injured' lie around the mall
Others run for cover
The exercise is part of a three-day operation taking place across the north west - dubbed Exercise Winchester Accord. Following deadly attacks in Paris and Brussels, the terrorist threat remains ‘severe’ according to MI5.
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.
The Trafford Centre is not a specific target of a terror threat
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.
Source: Mirror
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