‘Anyone who’s got a bag’ – Manchester commuters anxious after attack

Stepping off a tram in Manchester city centre, Mary, a teacher, says that she is still nervous about taking public transport four days after Monday’s suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena.

"It doesn't feel nice. It is horrible," she said, after getting off at the Metrolink stop at St Peter's Square, a 15-minute walk from the scene where Salman Abedi (22) blew himself up, killing 22 people and injuring 120 more.

She is particularly vigilant on her morning commuter and nervous around “anyone that’s got a bag”, she said.

Armed police are still patrolling the streets of Manchester city centre, particularly around the memorial to the victims at St Ann’s Square, and near the scene of the attack, which is still cordoned off.

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Security is being stepped up in Manchester this weekend as an athletics competition, the Great City Games, and the Great Manchester Run, the 10km run that attracted more than 35,000 last year, take place.

The UK is on a state of high alert since the government raised the terror level to critical, meaning authorities expect another possible imminent attack.

The increase in security makes sense to some Manchester residents.

“They’ve got to, haven’t they, for the next few days?” said Rod Waldie (47), a solicitor, stepping off the tram from his home in Altrincham.

“They are still making arrests, so I think they have got to keep it at a critical level until they feel like, if there is a group or a cell, that they have broken that up.”

Waldie feels like “someone had hit the mute button in Manchester” after the attack.

“It was very quiet when people were commuting and walking through the station,” he said.

Another commuter, Sophie Goodrich (29), an administrator, says the government's decision to raise the terror threat alert to the highest level is a bit heavy-handed.

“It does feel a little bit like an overreaction but I think it’s also to do with the upcoming election,” she said.

"Theresa May wants to be seen as strong and stable and doing something to help her people. I feel like it is more a PR thing for her than actually doing us any help."

Bridget Kehoe, who is originally from Leixlip, Co Kildare but has been living in Manchester for 64 years, says she is not nervous about travelling into the city and refuses to stay home because of a potential terror threat.

“They are not going to win,” she said, on her way to a nearby church. “It is like the IRA. If you were to do that all the time, it would be no good.”

Imran Hashmi (25), an economic consultant who has commuted to work from Old Trafford, a suburb, feels it is important to carry on with day-to-day life so the terrorists don’t “win”.

He believes the police presence is more about reassuring people.

“It’s probably a reflection of the fact that at the time they hadn’t arrested everybody and they felt that people were still at large,” he said.

Manchester councillor Pat Karney told The Irish Times that he is not fearful of another attack but feels that the police presence is still necessary to protect the people of Manchester “from these evil people”.

“We are respectful in terms of the grief and the unbearable pain families are going through but we also have the dual responsibility of keeping Manchester working,” he said.