Michael McElhatton was held on suspicion of manslaughter after deaths of three teenagers

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A hotel owner arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after three teenagers died outside a St Patrick’s Day disco in Northern Ireland has been released on bail.

Michael McElhatton, 52, who runs the Greenvale hotel in Cookstown, County Tyrone, will be questioned again, police said on Thursday.

A 40-year-old member of the nightspot’s door staff who was arrested with McElhatton on Tuesday remains in custody.

Lauren Bullock, 17, Connor Currie, 16, and Morgan Barnard, 17, died after a crush at the hotel on Sunday night. They are due to be buried on Friday.

McElhatton was also arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply after a search of his home turned up white powder in a clear plastic bag along with scraps of tin foil.

Forensic analysis determined the powder was innocuous and the hotel owner was de-arrested. He issued a statement accusing police of “blackening” his name.

Asked at a press conference on Thursday if police would apologise Ch Supt Raymond Murray said no.

“Everything that happened in relation to that arrest and seizure is what we would normally do. If you start at the point where you know the end result and look back, it’s actually not a very helpful place to start.”

Detectives have identified 400 young people who were in the queue or car park on Sunday night, he said. Some 82 have been interviewed, with another 106 due to be interviewed in the next few days.

“As part of our investigation we have utilised the major incident public portal to allow people to upload mobile phone footage and images of the evening,” said Murray. “We have also deployed one of our cyber support vehicles to Cookstown to enable us to download mobile phone footage from people at the scene.”

Hundreds of mourners have left written and floral tributes to the three teenagers.

On Wednesday the Democratic Unionist party leader, Arlene Foster, signed a book of condolence in Cookstown. She said: “I cannot begin to comprehend the pain and anguish the families of Lauren, Connor and Morgan are going through at this time.

“As a mother of two teenagers, this is the news no parent should ever receive, particularly as young people go out for an evening of enjoyment. The tragic loss of life has been felt across the entire area of Cookstown, Dungannon and beyond. There are many homes in Northern Ireland who have been devastated by the tragedy over the bank holiday weekend.”