Bomb explodes near N Ireland MI5 base

The Real IRA has admitted it was behind a car bomb which exploded outside MI5’s Northern Ireland headquarters.

The blast seems to have been timed to coincide with the precise moment that policing and justice powers devolved from Westminster to Stormont.

It happened at about 0020 BST outside Palace Barracks, in Holywood, County Down. Police said no warning was given.

The bomb went off as the surrounding area was being evacuated. An elderly man was treated for minor injuries.

The bomb was placed in a taxi, which had been hijacked in the Ligoniel area of north Belfast, about seven miles from Holywood, at about 2150 BST.

The driver was held hostage by three men for about two hours before being told to drive his taxi to the barracks.

The vehicle was abandoned at the base just before midnight prompting police and security staff to evacuate the area. The bomb exploded about 20 minutes later as the evacuation was still taking place.

An elderly man walking near the barracks at the time of the explosion was treated in hospital for minor injuries.

There were two explosions – first the bomb and then the petrol tank, destroying the car and damaging other property.

Chief Superintendent Nigel Grimshaw said the police had not received a telephoned warning about the attack.

He said the taxi used was destroyed in the “significant explosion”.

The senior officer visited the scene on Sunday night.

“I saw young children in the arms of mothers and fathers, where we had moved people from the community into a local community centre – that’s the type of people who were affected by this totally callous act.

“There is no question in my mind that it was designed to kill or seriously injure and that’s exactly what would have happened, were it not for the actions of my officers, military colleagues and indeed the community themselves who co-operated fully with us.”

Up to 60 people were moved from their homes and spent the night in a community centre.

The attack appears to have been timed to coincide with the transfer of policing and justice powers from London to Belfast.

Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward said this “democratic transition stands in stark contrast to the activity of a criminal few who will not accept the will of the majority of people of Northern Ireland”.

“They have no support anywhere,” he added.

BBC