12/06/2014

Belfast Christmas Bomb Arrest - Man Released

A man arrested by detectives investigating a bomb in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter just before Christmas has been released, pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service.

The 41-year-old man was detained in north Belfast on Tuesday morning and taken to Antrim police station for questioning.

The arrest followed the planting of a bomb in a holdall in Exchange Street West on Friday 13 December. The bomb exploded at about 19:00 that night, as the busy area was beginning to fill up with festive revellers. The device went off as the area was being cleared following a security alert. No-one was injured.

About 1,000 people were affected by the explosion. A bomb warning had been given; however police said it was left at a different location to that named in a telephone call to a newspaper.

(IT/JP)

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