Pipe bomb found close to Army base in south Belfast

Army technical experts carried out a controlled explosion after a pipe bomb was discovered in a stolen car in south Belfast in the early hours of this morning.

The device, which was found in the Malone Road area, caused hours of disruption to traffic and local residents.

A spokeswoman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said a “viable pipe bomb-type device has now been made safe by the Army technical officer, who carried out a controlled explosion”.

The PSNI said the car, a Volkswagen Sharan, was “hijacked” just after midnight on Tuesday.

It was initially thought to have been a hoax device. The car was parked near to a Territorial Army base.

DUP councillor Brian Kingston said that residents were “evacuated from their homes at around five o’clock this morning. I’d say around 60 to 80 houses are affected.”

“When the police examined the car, they discovered a suspicious object in the back. It was a beer keg,” he added.