Police have issued an update following a dramatic swoop on Bolton railway station by armed cops.
Passengers were forced to evacuate the station last Friday night (August 27) as police responded to reports of a man carrying a weapon.
Officers arrested two men, one on suspicion of carrying an imitation firearm and a knife, and another on suspicion of carrying a knife.
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British Transport Police (BTP) has now confirmed that the two men have since been released under investigation.
The imitation firearm was a BB gun, BTP added.
One passenger described the moment his train was evacuated after being told of a man 'on board with a firearm'.
Kane Hamer, 23, told the Manchester Evening News : "Once we got into Bolton the conductor came through and said everyone has to get off the train at once and that he'd tell us why when we had got off.
"There were three police officers there then and they said 'we think there are two lads located in the front of the train and we have got a report they have got a gun'.
“We suddenly started seeing all these blue lights and [one of the passengers] came back and said outside there were loads of police.
“Five minutes later loads of police with guns came in and started spreading around.
“There were just a few police at first and then there were armed police everywhere."
Another passenger told the M.E.N. that 'people were running' as armed police descended.
In a statement issued last Friday, a BTP spokesperson said: "Officers were called at 9.27pm on August 27 to Bolton railway station following a report of a man with a weapon.
"They arrested two men, one on suspicion of carrying an imitation firearm and a knife, the other on suspicion of carrying a knife.
"Upon further inspection, the imitation firearm was found to be a BB gun."
