The blowing up of a car is being linked to a shooting at a Bolton gym.
The BMW was parked in Castle Street last night when a window was smashed and an explosive device thrown inside it.
There is no suggestion of terrorism but the incident is thought to be connected to a gun attack on July 12th.
In the shooting in the car park of Outline Health and Fitness Centre in Lever Street a man was shot twice and left fighting for his life.
The victim, in his 20s, required emergency surgery but is now improving.
The gunman, wearing dark clothing, walked up to the victim's car, and fired through the window three times.
Just after 9pm last night police were called to Castle Street to reports that a BMW was on fire and there was a possible suspicious device inside.
In a statement GMP said: "After an initial assessment by specially trained fire officers, bomb disposal experts were called and they confirmed that the device was an improvised explosive device (IED).
"Further enquiries have established that the offender approached the car before smashing a window on the vehicle and throwing the IED inside.
"The offender is described as a black man, approximately 6ft tall and wearing dark clothing, with his hood up and face covered.
"There is no suggestion that the incident is terrorism related, however it is being treated as a targeted attack.
"It is believed that the incident may be linked to a shooting, which took place on Lever Street on the 12 July 2019."
Detective Superintendent Howard Millington, of GMP’s Bolton District, said: “Thankfully nobody was injured during this shocking incident, but we know that it will understandably cause concern in the local community.
“There is no information to suggest that this is terrorism related however we are treating it as a targeted attack and initial enquiries have suggested that this may be linked to the recent shooting on Lever Street.
“Local residents will notice an increased police presence in the area to provide reassurance and carry out further enquiries as we try to establish the full circumstances of what happened.
“If you have concerns then I would encourage you to please approach one of these officers on patrol, or alternatively you could contact police on the number provided.
“I want to make it clear that organised crime has no place on our streets. To use an IED as a tool to cause fear is abhorrent, and we cannot have people such as this walking around, free to intimidate others.
“This simply will not be tolerated and I want to urge anybody with information about this incident to please contact police and help us find those responsible.”
Anybody with information should contact police on 0161 856 5599 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. Anybody who calls either number should use the reference ‘Operation Progress’ when passing on information.
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