School nail bomb suspect bailed

Sep 28 2007

The covered up teachers car at Runnymede St Edwards College, West Derby, after a nail bomb blew up inside it _320

A MAN arrested on suspicion of planting a nail bomb in a teacher’s car was released on bail today.

The 21-year-old was taken into police custody this week after the bomb ripped through a silver Nissa Micra outside Runnymede St Edward’s school in West Derby, Liverpool, last Friday.

The bomb - nails attached to a large firework - was detonated just minutes before hundreds of primary-age children were due to emerge 30ft from the vehicle.

The explosion of the woman teacher’s car was described by Superintendent Ian Pilling, of Merseyside Police, as a "despicable crime".

Emergency crews were called to the £4,500-a-year public school at 2.50pm after receiving reports of a vehicle on fire.

It was only when officers examined the car - whose windows were blown out - that it became clear that the bomb had somehow been placed inside the hatchback.

Police conducted house-to-house inquiries, recovered CCTV footage and interviewed pupils, staff and parents the following Monday.

This afternoon a force spokesman said the suspect, from Huyton, Merseyside, had been released on bail.