Detectives make further arrests as investigation into a burglary at a university building progresses
Detectives have arrested four more individuals in Manchester, including Hulme and Old Trafford, in connection with a burglary at a university building on Oxford Road. The theft involved two statue busts of chemistry academics Chaim Weizmann and Harold Baily Dixon, which were later defaced. The suspects, aged 20-34, were detained on suspicion of aggravated burglary. A previous arrest was made in November, and the investigation is ongoing. Authorities have made 32 arrests linked to 28 incidents across Greater Manchester since October 2023, with nine people charged. The police emphasize their commitment to combating criminal acts while supporting peaceful protest.
Four arrests in dawn raids across Manchester Thursday morning have cracked open the burglary that saw two historic university busts stolen, defaced and flaunted online.
Officers swooped on addresses in Hulme and Old Trafford at first light, seizing two men and two women aged 20 to 34 on suspicion of aggravated burglary. The suspects are being held for the 1 November theft of bronze likenesses of chemistry pioneers Chaim Weizmann—first president of Israel—and Harold Baily Dixon from a University of Manchester building on Oxford Road. After the break-in, the statues were filmed being spray-painted and toppled in public spaces, images that sparked outrage across the city.
The quartet joins a 25-year-old man already on bail since 8 November, bringing to five the number held over the targeted raid on campus heritage. Detective Chief Inspector Jill Billington said the arrests form part of a wider crackdown that has seen 32 people detained for 28 linked incidents across Greater Manchester since October 2023, nine of whom have been charged. “Criminality is not welcome in Greater Manchester,” Billington stated, urging anyone with CCTV, dashcam or mobile footage to upload it through the force’s major incident portal.
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