Deadly explosive device found in Belfast ‘could have killed local family'
'This device is made for one reason and one reason only – death.'
The explosive device – found in the garden of a property in Cluanbeg Drive on the loyalist Rathcoole estate in Newtownabbey – was discovered around lunchtime when the family living there returned from a Saturday morning shopping trip.
Police sources said the family have absolutely no connection to any of the paramilitary-linked organisations still operating in the staunchly loyalist district.
But following the discovery of the blast bomb – which was slight larger than a can of Coke – the area around the house was sealed off immediately by police before an army bomb disposal team was sent for.
Locals living in the area watched the bomb being defused from behind police security tape.
And the Citybus service by Translink was forced to do a detour through another part of the sprawling estate, around five miles from Belfast city centre.
But after examining Sunday World photographs snapped with a long-range lens – a retired member of the security forces told us: 'This is what an Army Technical Officer would call a blast bomb. Read more
'It is smaller than a pipe bomb, but it's just as deadly. It is made up of a 2in socket joint and capped with two beaded plugs. It has been most likely packed with explosives sourced from cartridges or fireworks.
'The igniter, commonly called the fuse, is of a type commonly found in over-the-counter fireworks. In reality, this type of blast bomb is a home-made hand grenade.
Army bomb disposal teams were called to the Loyalist Rathcoole estate in Newtownabbey.
'The photograph shows that the fuse has been ignited, but it was most likely extinguished on impact with the ground.
'While such devices are seen as crude, they are every bit as deadly as commercial or military ordinance.
'The detonation velocity of such a device can range from 1,100fps (feet per second) to 1,800fps. It has the power to send shrapnel from the fractured metal casing in a wide trajectory,' said the source.
He added: 'This device is made for one reason and one reason only – death.'
Rathcoole residents were enjoying afternoon sunshine when two army bomb disposal vehicles pulled into Cluanbeg Drive. They had been summonsed to the scene by two PSNI CID officers wearing white forensic suits.
As uniformed police made sure members of the public were well out of danger, the bomb disposal team made ready their equipment, including a robot capable of examining an explosive device at close range .
Using a computer screen fixed on the tailgate of one of the lorries, the technician propelled the robot towards the suspect device, which it carried on to the road.
The entire operation moved at a snail's pace. And on two occasions, bomb disposal officers complained to the police that members of the public were still far too near the device.
Local residents watch on as the Army disposal team and police block off part of the estate.
A crowd of largely male residents wearing Rangers tops stood chatting with PSNI officers from either side of the security tape. And when they were asked to move further back, they did as the police requested. A bomb disposal officer wearing full protective clothing again walked over to the suspect device, before returning to speak to the CID officers.
One female resident who spoke to us said: 'We got the shock of our lives when the police and army began arriving in the estate around lunchtime. The police told us is was a suspected bomb and we were told not to go beyond the cordon.'
She added: 'We all thought this was a thing of the past.'
The PSNI said it was a viable device and that it had been taken away by army technical officers for further forensic examination.
Rathmore Drive was closed during the operation but has since reopened, said Chief Inspector Tate.
The bomb alert came just 48 hours after a cache of pipe bombs was found near Belfast Castle in north Belfast.
Controlled explosions were carried out on the bombs, which sources said belonged to a crime gang with links to the UVF.
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