Peter Coffey said the incident happened at around 2pm on Saturday, March 21, near the junction of Wigan Road in the Deane area, after returning from the shops.

Several armed officers were present (Image: Public)

He said: “They searched me and my bags outside my house.

“It was like something out of America with ICE agents they were dressed all in black, armed, and just seized me.”

Mr Coffey said multiple police vehicles pulled up suddenly before Greater Manchester Police armed officers approached him.

Armed officers reportedly acted on a suspected gun report before releasing the man (Image: Public)

He added: “They pulled up and there were a few vehicles on the junction — next thing, they’re on me.

According to Mr Coffey, officers told him they were acting on reports of a man with a suspected gun and that he “partially resembled” the suspect.

He described the encounter as “absolutely shocking” and said he was grabbed without warning.

“They were all armed, dressed in black, and just grabbed me without saying anything,” he said.

Mr Coffey claims he was handled forcefully and detained in handcuffs for several minutes.

He said: “They were very aggressive.

“They grabbed hold of me with force and handcuffed me. I’m 67 it was frightening.”

He was held for around five minutes before being released, with no further explanation given at the scene.

“They just left onto the next one.” he added.

Mr Coffey later went to a police station to query the incident but said he was left confused by the response he received.

The 67-year-old described the encounter as “frightening” after officers detained him (Image: Public)

He claims the police said there was no record of any report relating to a man with a firearm in the Bolton area and said officers were unable to provide clear answers.

He added: “For someone to have a gun in public is very serious and prompted a rapid response force.

“To then deny it later is confusing.

A number of people contacted The Bolton News saying that police were in the Wigan Road area at the time Mr Coffey says he was stopped by police.

Greater Manchester Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident.

Savannah Guthrie, who will return on April 6 as co-host of NBC’s “Today” show after a nearly two-month absence sparked by the disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, said in an interview that aired on Friday that “joy will be my protest.”

Guthrie, speaking with colleague Hoda Kotb, said that while it’s hard to imagine returning to a place of joy and lightness, she wants to try, even as she acknowledged she’s not sure she can do it or if she’ll belong anymore.

“I can’t come back and try to be something that I’m not. But I can’t not come back, because it’s my family,” Guthrie said. “I think it’s part of my purpose right now. I want to smile and when I do, it will be real and my joy will be my protest. My joy will be my answer. And being there is joyful and when it’s not, I’ll say so.”

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing from her Arizona home on Feb. 1. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will. The FBI released surveillance videos of a masked man who was outside Guthrie’s front door in Tucson on the night she vanished. Authorities have not released new evidence publicly in weeks.

The Guthrie family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of their mother.

Savannah Guthrie, who’s co-hosted NBC’s morning show since 2012, pulled out of covering the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, which began just days after her mother’s disappearance.

Abductions are rare. The vast majority of people who are reported missing are believed to be runaways — not kidnapped or abducted. Throughout all of 2024, the latest year that the National Crime Information Center published data, over 530,000 missing person records were entered. Roughly 95% of the hundreds of thousands of cases filed in 2024 were believed to be runaways and only 1% were listed as abducted.

Savannah Guthrie, acknowledging her mother is among the many missing, donated to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The organization on Thursday highlighted the cases of three children who disappeared in Arizona — Jimmy Hendrickson in 1991, Karen Grajeda in 1996 and Jesse Florez in 2001.

“We encourage everyone to stay alert,” the center said in a statement. “It’s up to the public to keep their eyes open. You never know when the next lead will be the one that brings someone home.”

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that tips are still coming in on Nancy Guthrie but at a declining rate. The FBI says it’s no longer revealing the number of tips it receives daily in the investigation. Portions of Kotb’s interview with Savannah Guthrie were released over multiple days this week. In the videos, Guthrie said she and her siblings knew their mother didn’t wander off, given her medical condition, and that doors were propped open at her house. Authorities also discovered blood and a missing camera near the doorstep.

Some media outlets reported receiving ransom notes tied to the case. Guthrie and her siblings responded to two that they believed were real and offered to pay money. Guthrie said her celebrity status might be the reason her mother was taken, but that possibility was “too much to bear.”

She again appealed for information, saying the family can’t be in peace or move forward with healing without knowing what happened to their mother.

“How can someone vanish without a trace?” Guthrie asked. “How? Someone knows something. Even if that something is someone’s been acting strange for the last seven or eight weeks. Even if it’s just that. Somebody knows. And maybe somebody’s afraid and I understand that, but our hearts are in agony.”

___ Associated Press writer Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Riley’s Fish Shack, located on the beach at King Edward’s Bay in Tynemouth, was recommended by The Good Food Guide for its classic wood-fired sourdough wraps and chilli fish empanadas, to name a few.

The coastal Tyne and Wear foodie spot was born from owners Adam and Lucy Riley’s passion for “fresh, honest healthy seafood”.

The husband-and-wife team said they thought there was a “real shortage” of this in their hometown.

They continued on the Riley’s Fish Shack website: “There’s so much seafood caught here, much of which people don’t know is available or which of it truly is local”.

Rick Stein recently praised Riley’s when appearing on The Travel Diaries podcast and spoke about his enjoyable visit.

He said: “The thing I like about it, is as I said, it’s right down on the beach, built out of two shipping containers and it just does local fish.

“But it has this really lovely dish that I had, crab soufflé with thermidor sauce.”

Rick added: “I mean they are young people running it, you know really hard working, but it just had this fantastic atmosphere, because it was sort of impromptu.

“It was cold when we were there but they had these little sort of coal fires built in into the wall near where you sat but it just sort of had, a great atmosphere.”

But why is The Good Food Guide raving about it right now?

The Tynemouth fish restaurant named among the UK’s best

The foodie publication revealed in the review: “During the summer season, you can now hire a deckchair from Riley’s and eat their food on the beach (they will also sell you a blanket to use and take home if the weather’s breezy).

“The location – a glass-fronted shipping container facing the North Sea – is spot-on for a menu inspired by the owners’ stints as street-food vendors.

“Seasonal seafood is the deal, and the day’s dishes (and service times) often depend on the catch.

“Items are rubbed off the blackboard as they sell out, although Riley’s classic wood-fired sourdough wraps (served in their famous ‘floppy’ cardboard boxes) are a fixture – perhaps BBQ Craster kippers, bavette steak or ‘hot plate’ hake with caper butter.”

It continued: “Otherwise, the line-up might run from chilli fish empanadas via salt cod with grilled cos lettuce, smoked egg and preserved lemon to pan-roasted headliners such as turbot ‘chop’, lemon sole or brill (served with panzanella salad).

“Round off with one of Riley’s special soft-serves (wood-fired pineapple or peaches and cream, say).

“A dozen wines are served in plastic tumblers, there are plenty of ales from regional breweries and the venue also does a good line in homemade beverages (try the hot butter rum).”

At Riley’s Fish Shack, its all-day menu includes dishes such as oysters, bread sticks and seaweed butter, fishcakes, empanadas, fish rillette, smoked haddock brandade, crab souffle, Cajun haddock with remoulade and fish soup with rouille.

The day’s dishes at Riley’s often depend on the catch (Image: Tripadvisor)

Meanwhile, the lunch and dinner menus offer a variety of larger and whole fish dishes such as halibut chop bouillabaisse with mussels, cod on French onion and smoked beef dripping, whole grilled turbot with Riley’s classic preserved lemon and caper butter, whole brill with Cafe de Paris butter, the famed bang bang monkfish kebabs or monkfish curry, scallops, and langoustines.

See all spring and summer opening hours on the website (a link to which can be found above).

Over on Tripadvisor, Riley’s Fish Shack has an impressive 1,179 “excellent” reviews out of a possible 1,823.

This recent customer complimented: “What a place … still…. Never disappoints.

“There attentive, passionate and care about the customers and the food… WELL ILL SAFELY SAY THE BEST SEAFOOD IN ENGLAND!

“Its not pretentious, you dont have to be rich…its accessible for all but the quality is outstanding … what a team..”

Someone else put: “Had been so looking forward to my first visit…and it exceeded my expectations!

“Loved the whole experience. Will be back, soon hopefully!”

This happy visitor shared: “We went on a cold, windy February night midweek – open fires by our table kept us warm whilst we waited (not long enough!) for our food.

“It was incredible – great fish, great atmosphere, great staff – 5/5. We’ll be back ASAP.”

Have you recently been to this must-visit North East seafood spot? Let us know in the comments below if you have any other recommendations to share.

President Donald Trump described a phone call about custom-made Sharpies at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting — but a spokesperson for the pen brand told The Washington Post the conversation he recounted didn’t happen.

“We don’t have any information about the conversation described. We’re proud to be a beloved brand trusted by so many globally,” a spokesperson for Newell Brands, which makes Sharpies, told the outlet.

The Independent has contacted the White House and Newell Brands for comment.

Trump launched into his Sharpie anecdote about an hour into his latest Cabinet meeting, where administration officials were discussing several pressing topics, including the Iran war and the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.

“This pen is very inexpensive, but it writes well, I like it,” Trump said, holding up a marker. “But I can’t have the pen the way it was — you know what it is? I don’t want to give too much publicity, but they do treat me well, Sharpie.”

The president then complained about how he was handing out expensive pens after signing events.

“So, I came here, they have $1,000 pens. And you know, you hand pens out, you’re signing and you hand them out. You’re handing them to all these people, sometimes you have 30 or 40 people and they were $1,000 a piece,” he said.

Trump said he “felt guilty,” and wanted to find a way to save money.

“I want to save money, so I’m saying, ‘This is crazy.’ And I had another problem; they didn’t write well. So, I take it out and I sign it and there’s no ink and I’ve got all you people looking and you’re saying, ‘There must be something wrong with Trump.’ I’m signing and there’s no ink in the pen and it cost $1,000,” he explained.

“That’s when I called the guy. I said, ‘I’d like to use your pen, but I can’t have a gray thing with a big S on it saying ‘Sharpie’ as I’m signing a $1 trillion airplane contract to buy brand new fighter jets,’” he added.

After a brief aside about former President Joe Biden and his “autopen,” Trump continued: “He said, ‘Well, I can make it nicer.’”

“‘I said, ‘What can you do?’ He said, ‘I’ll paint it black.’ I said, ‘That’s nice.’ ‘And I can even paint the White House on it, sir, if you like, in gold.’ Almost real gold, not bad. ‘And I can even do your signature, sir.’”

Trump then briefly turned to other topics, including the Federal Reserve building, before returning to Sharpies.

The president said: “So the guy said to me, ‘You don’t have to pay me, sir, I’ll give them to you for nothing.’ I said, ‘No, I don’t want that. Let me pay you. I want to pay you.’ ‘No, sir, you don’t have to. You’re the president of the United States.’”

“He was shocked — the head of Sharpie gets a call, I don’t even know who the hell he is. He said, ‘Is this really the president?’ He said, ‘No, you don’t have to pay me, sir. This is such an honor.’ I said, ‘Nope, I want to pay you.’”

“He said, ‘What would you like to pay?’ I said, ‘How about five bucks a pen?’ He said, ‘That’s all right.’ Whatever the hell we agreed to, peanuts as opposed to $1,000.”

Trump called the anecdote a “business story.”

“So, for $5 — it could be zero — but for $5 I get a much better pen than for $1,000. And I can hand them out and actually they become hot as a pistol,” he said.

Social media users were quick to react to Trump’s anecdote.

“Ohhhhkaaayyy,” writer Tom Nichols posted on X.

“Wow. I’m going to be saying ‘WTF?’ all day long,” another user wrote.

Luis de la Fuente has suggested that the media are overlooking Arsenal’s David Raya in the debate about Spain’s first-choice goalkeeper for the World Cup.

Spain have a wealth of goalkeeping options ahead of this summer’s World Cup with Raya competing for a place alongside Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Simon, Barcelona’s Joan Garcia and Real Sociedad’s Alex Remiro.

Simon, who was Spain’s goalkeeper for their successful Euro 2024 campaign, was given a full 90 minutes on Friday night as La Roja sealed a 3-0 friendly win against Serbia. Raya and Remiro were both on the bench, while Simon failed to make the squad.

Spain are due to play Egypt in their next friendly on Tuesday but De la Fuente has refused to confirm whether Raya, Remiro or Garcia will get a chance to impress.

Speaking after the victory against Serbia in Villarreal, De la Fuente made a point of highlighting how highly regarded Raya is in the Premier League and questioned why he has not received more calls from the media to start the Arsenal goalkeeper for the national side.

‘I can’t clear up any doubts for you. The best news is that I have no doubts at all. I have complete confidence in them. There’s something special about them,’ De la Fuente said when asked about his goalkeeping situation.

‘The best news is seeing that all four goalkeepers, regardless of who was left out, embraced each other and are encouraging one another.

‘Unai Simon is Unai Simon, Raya is a fantastic goalkeeper, and Alex Remiro is just as good.

‘We’ll see what happens between now and Tuesday, but I have no doubts. My only regret is leaving one out. Let’s wait and see, don’t be in such a hurry, and enjoy not only these four goalkeepers but also some of the others we have.’

When asked if the decision to give Simon a full game against Serbia reaffirms his position as Spain’s first-choice goalkeeper, De La Fuente replied: ‘I don’t have to reaffirm Unai’s place.

‘It would be unfair if we didn’t value Unai’s quality, class, career, and professional experience. It would be absurd for me to have to come here and reaffirm it, just because he’s Unai Simon. When a goalkeeper is at this level, you have to respect his standing and his career.

‘Besides, we have David Raya, who I’m eager for you to ask me about. In England, they consider him the best goalkeeper in the world, and here nobody talks about him.

‘The same goes for Joan Garcia and Alex Remiro, let’s be fair. But Unai Simon is indisputable. The others have a lot of talent and class, but everything in its own time.

‘We haven’t changed the goalkeepers because we understand that they are special positions and need to be treated differently, but I insist that we have three other impressive goalkeepers besides Unai.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

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An Iranian missile strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia left at least 10 US service members injured and caused damage to multiple refuelling aircraft

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An Iranian missile attack on Friday has left at least 10 US military personnel wounded and inflicted damage on multiple aircraft at a base in Saudi Arabia, two US officials with knowledge of the matter have revealed.

Two of those injured suffered serious wounds, one of the officials has confirmed. The strike on Prince Sultan Air Base damaged several US refuelling planes, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the military intelligence.

The attack, which deployed an Iranian missile along with drones, comes just a day after President Donald Trump proclaimed Iran has been “obliterated” and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that “never in recorded history has a nation’s military been so quickly and so effectively neutralized.”

Earlier on Friday, US Central Command disclosed that more than 300 service personnel have been injured throughout the month-long confrontation. While the bulk of those hurt have made recoveries and returned to active duty, 30 remained unfit for service and 10 were classified as seriously wounded.

This isn’t the first time Prince Sultan Air Base has come under fire from Iran. Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, was injured in a 1 March strike on the facility and passed away days later.

He is among the 13 service members who have been killed in the conflict. Satellite imagery purportedly showing the extent of damage to the aircraft has circulated online. The strike was first disclosed by The Wall Street Journal. The Trump administration presented a 15-point ceasefire proposal to Iran, using Pakistan as a go-between.

Iran has dismissed suggestions that talks are taking place, while its control over the Strait of Hormuz has sent fuel costs spiralling and rattled the global economy. Tehran stated on Friday, though, that it had consented to allow humanitarian relief and agricultural goods passage through the strategic waterway.

Amidst speculation about negotiations, the Pentagon is readying the deployment of at least 1,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division – a force specialising in parachuting into hostile or disputed zones to seize key territory and airfields – to the Middle East within days.

The military is additionally dispatching two Marine units that will contribute roughly 5,000 Marines and thousands of sailors to the region.

The Home Office’s Immigration Enforcement Secretariat told us the Government had “established a new returns and enforcement programme”, adding: “Returns and enforcement activity falls to various parts of the Home Office, and in particular to Immigration Enforcement, Visas, Passports, Citizenship and Resettlement Services, Asylum Group and the Border Security Command.

A study of 2,000 adults found 22 per cent said this was the moment they realised they were ‘officially a grown-up’, marking a shift from being looked after to fending for themselves.

Only 15 per cent of grown-ups are still gifted choccy treats at Easter from their parents or guardians – despite 72 per cent believing you’re never too old to celebrate Easter with a chocolate egg.

This particular Easter egg outrage actually has some validity. https://t.co/fjo4oQajCx

— Robert E Howard The Duck (@Mudkipstoat23) March 24, 2026

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However, 58 per cent weren’t warned about this abrupt change, saying ‘it just stopped’, while 22 per cent admitted they still buy an egg for themselves every year – simply because they can.

The research was commissioned by M&M’S , as part of their Great Easter Egg Debate, with Michael and Hilary Whitehall laying out both sides of the topic.

Michael said: “Frankly, once you’re an adult you should be self-sufficient and responsible for your own Easter chocolate – and I should know, my eldest son took far too long to fly the nest. But what do I know.”

Hilary, however, disagrees: “Oh, don’t be such a grump, Michael. I say just because you’re grown-up doesn’t mean you have to act like it. You’re never too old for a chocolate egg at Easter.”

The research also found that for those adults who still receive chocolate eggs, 57 per cent would be disappointed if they stopped getting them.

This includes 33 per cent who’d be annoyed in secret, whereas almost a quarter (24 per cent) would be happy to openly complain about it.

The average participant receives one and a half chocolate eggs per year but buys nearly four for other people.

Generally, the things people love most about Easter include getting together with family (25 per cent), the start of lighter evenings (24 per cent) and the bank holiday weekend (20 per cent).

However, as people get older, the things they miss most about the holidays are waking up to chocolate on Easter morning (15 per cent) and Easter egg hunts (14 per cent).

According to OnePoll.com figures, 27 per cent of those who have moved out do not bother with Easter eggs after leaving home.

Steve Waters, director of eggcellence at M&M’S, said: “Easter eggs are one of those little joys that quietly slip away as we move into adulthood, but who says they have to?

“This campaign is about reminding people that chocolate, fun and a bit of cheeky tradition don’t need to have an age limit.

“We’re here to stir the debate and give everyone a playful excuse to hold onto their Easter eggs, no matter how adult they are.”

Are you gutted about your last chocolate egg? Let us know in the comments

The company is not alone in its confidence about the appeal of more creative Easter treats. Bakery Lottie Shaw’s, which has been making treats in Yorkshire since 1912, says sales of its “hot cross tarts”, which combine spiced fruits with treacle in a shortcrust pastry paste, have surged by 800% since launching last year.

Postcodes from across the region were picked out this week for £1,000 prizes.

Players in Coxhoe (DH6 4SG) won £1,000 as did residents in Yarm (TS15 9EN). Further afield postcodes in Hartlepool, Sunderland, Newcastle, Whitby and Malton also won shares of the prize pot.

The People’s Postcode Lottery is a subscription lottery which aims to raise money for charities while also bringing cash prizes to homes across the UK.

The People’s Postcode Lottery unveils daily prizes for postcodes across the UK, including £30,000 jackpots for every winning ticket in a postcode on weekends, and £1,000 prizes for 20 different postcodes every day.

A minimum of 33 per cent from each ticket goes to charity, and players have raised more than £950 million for over 9,000 charities and good causes since 2005.

The Postcode Lottery winners and prize amounts this week are:

• DH6 4SG – £1,000 – Coxhoe
• TS15 9EN – £1,000 – Yarm
• TS24 8NH – £1,000 – Hartlepool
• SR3 1AZ – £1,000 – Sunderland
• NE6 5UJ – £1,000 – Newcastle
• YO22 4JE – £1,000 – Whitby
• YO17 7JX – £1,000 – Malton