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| Police killings: man arrested over Dale Cregan Facebook page | Police killings: man arrested over Dale Cregan Facebook page |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A man has been arrested in connection with an offensive Facebook page set up following the deaths of police officers Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone, Greater Manchester police said. | A man has been arrested in connection with an offensive Facebook page set up following the deaths of police officers Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone, Greater Manchester police said. |
| Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said Merseyside police had arrested a 22-year-old man in Netherley, Liverpool under the Communications Act 2003. | |
| The arrest is thought to be linked to a Facebook page that appeared to praise Dale Cregan, the man police arrested on suspicion of murder, for his alleged involvement in the killings. It also suggested he should be awarded an OBE. The 22-year-old was in police custody for questioning. | |
| Shewan said: "In the last 48 hours, since the tragic death of our two officers, there has been a huge amount of support from the public through our website and on social media. However, there are also a small number of people who have posted malicious and upsetting comments online, causing outrage to many people and prompting them to ask us what we are doing to deal with these people." | Shewan said: "In the last 48 hours, since the tragic death of our two officers, there has been a huge amount of support from the public through our website and on social media. However, there are also a small number of people who have posted malicious and upsetting comments online, causing outrage to many people and prompting them to ask us what we are doing to deal with these people." |
| He said police took reports of this nature very seriously, as demonstrated by the arrest. | He said police took reports of this nature very seriously, as demonstrated by the arrest. |
| Shewan said they had become "very aware of the derogatory and offensive comments", but the overwhelming message on social media remained one of support. | Shewan said they had become "very aware of the derogatory and offensive comments", but the overwhelming message on social media remained one of support. |
| The overwhelming public reaction has been sympathetic to the police. An online book of condolence has attracted more than 25,000 messages from wellwishers. A Facebook page set up by the force has been viewed by more than a million people. | The overwhelming public reaction has been sympathetic to the police. An online book of condolence has attracted more than 25,000 messages from wellwishers. A Facebook page set up by the force has been viewed by more than a million people. |
| On Wednesday night a member of the public set up a Facebook page offering cover so Greater Manchester police officers could attend the funerals of Bone and Hughes. Shewan said he could not thank the public of Greater Manchester and the UK enough for their support and good wishes since Tuesday. | On Wednesday night a member of the public set up a Facebook page offering cover so Greater Manchester police officers could attend the funerals of Bone and Hughes. Shewan said he could not thank the public of Greater Manchester and the UK enough for their support and good wishes since Tuesday. |
| Shewan described Tuesday as the worst day in his policing career and said the force was still coming to terms with "the loss of two wonderful, first-class young officers". He said it would do everything it could to rid Greater Manchester of organised crime. | |
| It would be wrong, he added, to portray Manchester as being in the middle of a gang war. "This would overestimate what we have got here: clearly two feuding criminal families." | It would be wrong, he added, to portray Manchester as being in the middle of a gang war. "This would overestimate what we have got here: clearly two feuding criminal families." |
| He said "enough is enough", that Tuesday was a watershed moment that had to be the end. Over the last decade, gun crime has fallen in Manchester year on year. The force has witnessed the largest reduction in gun crime anywhere in the UK. | He said "enough is enough", that Tuesday was a watershed moment that had to be the end. Over the last decade, gun crime has fallen in Manchester year on year. The force has witnessed the largest reduction in gun crime anywhere in the UK. |
| Meanwhile, the police dismissed reports that the gun used in Tuesday's shootings had been supplied by Steven Greenoe, an American who was jailed in the US for importing gun components to the UK. Greenoe, of Raleigh, North Carolina, bought the guns in the US, broke them up and hid them in his bags, before travelling to the north-west of England on commercial flights. | Meanwhile, the police dismissed reports that the gun used in Tuesday's shootings had been supplied by Steven Greenoe, an American who was jailed in the US for importing gun components to the UK. Greenoe, of Raleigh, North Carolina, bought the guns in the US, broke them up and hid them in his bags, before travelling to the north-west of England on commercial flights. |
| Earlier, the family and friends of Hughes and Bone paid tribute to their dedication and commitment to the job. | Earlier, the family and friends of Hughes and Bone paid tribute to their dedication and commitment to the job. |
| Hughes, 23, and Bone, 32, were shot while responding to a report of a burglary at Abbey Gardens, on the Hattersley estate in Mottram, shortly before 11am on Tuesday. A grenade was also used in the attack. | Hughes, 23, and Bone, 32, were shot while responding to a report of a burglary at Abbey Gardens, on the Hattersley estate in Mottram, shortly before 11am on Tuesday. A grenade was also used in the attack. |
| A minute's silence was held in honour of the officers on Wednesday. | A minute's silence was held in honour of the officers on Wednesday. |
| Theresa May, the home secretary, described the murders as "savage acts of pure brutality", and said the victims were "brave and talented officers who were going about their everyday duties, doing what they do, day in, day out, protecting the public, fighting crime". | Theresa May, the home secretary, described the murders as "savage acts of pure brutality", and said the victims were "brave and talented officers who were going about their everyday duties, doing what they do, day in, day out, protecting the public, fighting crime". |
| Postmortem examinations on the officers concluded that they died as a result of gunshot wounds. | Postmortem examinations on the officers concluded that they died as a result of gunshot wounds. |
| Cregan, 29, handed himself in at a police station and was being questioned in connection with four murders: those of Hughes and Bone, and of Mark Short, 23, killed in May, and his father, David, 46, killed on 10 August. | |
| Police were granted more time to question Cregan, giving them until Friday morning before he must be charged or released. | Police were granted more time to question Cregan, giving them until Friday morning before he must be charged or released. |
| On Wednesday, a 28-year-old man, who has not been named, was arrested in the Hattersley area on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. He was taken into police custody for questioning. | On Wednesday, a 28-year-old man, who has not been named, was arrested in the Hattersley area on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. He was taken into police custody for questioning. |