Belfast bomb in Cathedral Quarter 'could have killed or injured anyone near'

Bomb exploded in a busy area of Belfast City

Police officers secure the area close to the scene of a small explosion in the Cathedral Quarter in Belfast city centre, Northern Ireland, Friday, 13 Dec 2013. (AP)

A bomb that exploded outside a busy restaurant in Belfast city centre following a misleading telephone warning could have killed or seriously injured anyone near it, a police commander has said.

Approximately 1,000 people were being evacuated by police from bars, eateries, residential accommodation, a theatre and a hotel in the bustling Cathedral Quarter district when the device detonated at Exchange Street West just at 6.45pm yesterday evening. No-one was hurt by the blast.

Officers had been responding to a warning phoned through to a Belfast newsroom that a bomb had been placed in the area.

However, police said the caller wrongly claimed the device had been left at a hotel, when it was actually placed on the pavement beside a restaurant.

While police described the explosion as "small" they said the device could have caused potentially fatal injuries.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Superintendent Alan McCrum described the actions of the perpetrators as "totally reckless" and said those who carried out the attack "have nothing to offer except disruption and destruction".

"This was an attack on the people of Belfast going about their normal lives on a busy night for socialising in the city," he said.

"Police would appeal for continued community support and vigilance on the run up to Christmas in seeking to disrupt or deter any further attack on the city."

Stormont's Justice Minister David Ford said the attack was an attempt to kill innocents while Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers branded it "deplorable".

Security has been ramped up in the city since a man was forced by masked dissidents to drive a car bomb to a shopping centre that faces a police station last month. That 60kg (132lb) device only partially exploded and no-one was injured.

"Yet again we see a reckless attempt to kill and injure innocent people in Belfast," Mr Ford said.

"The people carrying out these attacks have set out no reason and explained no cause for their acts of senseless violence. Their only aim seems to be to injure and disrupt. They ignore the strength of public support for normality and peace, especially at this Christmas season."

Ms Villiers said: "This was a reckless attack aimed at a busy entertainment area of the city.

"On one of busiest nights of the year with people enjoying the festivities ahead of Christmas, as well as all those in the final stages of Christmas shopping, it shows that these terrorists are stooping to a new low.

"This small minority want to drain the economic life from Belfast - but we will not let them succeed."

Police have urged the public, particularly business owners, to be on the look out for suspicious objects.

It is not known who carried out the attack, although some are blaming dissidents

While the threat posed by the violent extremists has remained classed as severe, police have acknowledged a "surge" in activity has taken place in recent weeks.

The area targeted last night is named after the landmark St Anne's Church of Ireland cathedral.

In a joint statement, senior church figures the Dean of Belfast Reverend John Mann and the Bishop of Connor Alan Abernethy said they were "profoundly saddened" at the attempt to "disrupt and endanger the people of Belfast".

Unionist and nationalist politicians heavily condemned the attack, as did representatives from the hospitality and business community.

The Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, the Cathedral Quarter Trust and Pubs of Ulster were among organisations to speak out against the bombers.

Additional reporting by Press Association