Woman escapes injury after 'reckless' pipe bomb attack - the consequences of 'which could have been devastating'

It happened during a security alert in Norglen Parade in west Belfast last night.

Detective Inspector George said: "Following a report at 10:35pm last night (Saturday, 4th January) of a suspicious object in the area, our officers attended and implemented a public safety operation.

"ATO were called to the scene to examine the object, which was located in the front garden of a property, and declared it to be a viable pipe-bomb type device.

"The device appears to have partially exploded and has now been taken away for further examination.

"Thankfully, a woman who was in a property where the device was located was not injured. Slight damage was caused to the property."

He added: "This was a reckless attack and the consequences of it could have been devastating.

"Our investigation is underway to establish what happened, and I am appealing to anyone who has information as to who is responsible for this despicable attack to pick up the phone and tell us what you know.

"If you were in the Norglen Parade area yesterday, or in recent days, and witnessed any suspicious activity, I would urge you to get in touch with detectives on 101, quoting reference number 1768 of 04/01/20."

Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.