UK police release man arrested over 1974 pub bombings

Police have released a man arrested earlier this week in connection with the deaths of 21 people in a pair of pub bombings in Birmingham in 1974

Britain Pub Bombings (1974 AP)

Police have released a man arrested earlier this week in Northern Ireland in connection with the deaths of 21 people in a pair of pub bombings in the central England city of Birmingham in 1974.

West Midlands Police said Friday that they released the 65-year-old after a search of his Belfast home. The investigation continues.

“Let me assure families of the victims and the people of Birmingham that we’re working relentlessly to find the bombers and bring them to justice,” Detective Chief Superintendent Kenny Bell said in a statement.

The arrest followed an inquiry into the bombings last year during which an unidentified Irish Republican Army volunteer named four men he said were responsible for the bombings.

A botched police investigation immediately after the bombings led to the wrongful convictions of six people who became known as the Birmingham Six. They were released in 1991 after their convictions were quashed.