Controlled explosion carried out on Belfast firebomb

A controlled explosion has been carried out on a van bomb left outside Laganside Magistrates Court in Belfast.

At around 11pm last night, a white Peugeot van was hijacked by three masked men in north Belfast. It was then loaded with the firebomb and the owner was forced to drive the vehicle to the newly opened law courts on Oxford Street.

Army technical officers were called in to deal with the device which was found to comprise of pipe bombs and a timer device attached to fuel canisters.

The area around Laganside Court was sealed off and the van was later removed for forensic examination. It is thought that dissident republican terrorists were responsible for the attack.

Detective Chief Inspector Will Kerr, who is in charge of the investigation, said: "The van involved contained a viable device that could easily have gone off at any time without warning resulting in a fireball which could have caused death or serious injury to anyone who was in the area at the time.

"I would condemn this incident and urge anyone who can assist the police in tracing those responsible, or can help our enquiry in any way, to contact detectives."

Security Minister Jane Kennedy condemned the attempted bombing, saying the path to peace would not be "deflected by a minority stuck in a violent and sterile past".

She added: "Those, last night, who attempted to bring death and destruction to the streets of Belfast are contemptible. The cowardly and indiscriminate way in which the act was carried out, by forcing the van owner to drive the device to its intended target, was despicable. Acts of violence, whether yesterday's murder in South Armagh or last night's attempted bombing in Belfast, must become a thing of the past."

Police have appealed for anyone with any information to contact detectives at Musgrave Street on 028 9065 0222 or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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