Chris Reid said he left a dummy bomb in toilets but forgot to remove it after an exercise as he had a similar one in his bag.
18:10, UK, Monday 16 May 2016
The boss of a security firm has claimed he was responsible for leaving a fake bomb in a Manchester United toilet that led to Sunday's match to be abandoned.
Security Search Management & Solutions Ltd's managing director Chris Reid said he had left a number of items around the ground during a training exercise for five dog handlers last Wednesday.
He said he left a mock-up of a 8in-long pipe bomb in the men's toilets but forgot to remove it after the exercise as he had a similar one already in his bag.
He said the item contained a label saying training aid and it was hung on a hook behind the door of a cubicle.
The dummy bomb was found just minutes before Manchester United and Bournemouth players were due on the pitch on Sunday afternoon.
Tens of thousands of fans had to be evacuated from the ground and the Premier League match was then abandoned.
A controlled explosion was carried out on what police called an "incredibly lifelike" training device which had sparked the red alert.
Mr Reid, a retired police officer, told reporters he was "absolutely devastated" after the blunder and added the "mistake is entirely mine, I have to take full responsibility".
His statement came after Manchester United said a contractor had signed that the device was removed along with 13 other ones at the end of an exercise that did not involve dogs.
The suspicious package was discovered in Old Trafford's North West Quadrant between the Stretford End and Sir Alex Ferguson Stand.
Manchester United has defended its decision to evacuate the 75,000-seat stadium.
The club's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward said: "Once a live situation was identified, the club and police had no option but to treat the matter as a potential terror threat.
"We could not have assumed it was a training exercise error. Presented with the same situation in the future, we would take the same action."
He also said sniffer dogs could not have found the fake bomb as it did not contain any explosives.
The re-arranged Premier League match is due to take place on Tuesday evening.
The mayor of Greater Manchester has called for an inquiry after the device prompted the evacuation of the stadium.
Tony Lloyd, who is also the city's police and crime commissioner, told Sky News: "In the event this had been a real device, the fact that it was only discovered 20 minutes before kick-off - that ground is normally packed not simply 20 minutes before kick-off but begins to fill up several hours before - it should have been found in a routine sweep."
He denied an inquiry would be about finding someone to blame for what appeared to be a mistake, saying: "It's not about red faces, it's about giving reassurances."
"The way to defeat the terrorists is that life carries on as normal but the public have got to have the reassurance that, in living a normal life, they don't put themselves at unrealistic risk.
"The fact that (Manchester United) were testing is a good thing, however, the fact that the testing proved there were holes in the security is not such a good thing and that's why we need proper answers."
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