This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-35724066
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| East Belfast: Prison officer injured after bomb explodes under van | East Belfast: Prison officer injured after bomb explodes under van |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A 52-year-old man, who is a serving prison officer, has been taken to hospital after a bomb exploded under a van in east Belfast. | A 52-year-old man, who is a serving prison officer, has been taken to hospital after a bomb exploded under a van in east Belfast. |
| Police said the attack happened at Hillsborough Drive at about 07:10 GMT on Friday. | |
| The man's injuries are believed to be serious but not life-threatening. | |
| Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster said it was a "disgraceful and despicable attack". | Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster said it was a "disgraceful and despicable attack". |
| Residents living in the area were left shocked and confused. | Residents living in the area were left shocked and confused. |
| A man walking his daughter to school said he heard a really loud bang on Friday morning. | A man walking his daughter to school said he heard a really loud bang on Friday morning. |
| "I thought it was possibly a skip had fallen over, some houses being worked on down the street," he said. | "I thought it was possibly a skip had fallen over, some houses being worked on down the street," he said. |
| He said the possibility that it could be a bomb "did not enter his mind" and he thought it was related to construction work on the street. | He said the possibility that it could be a bomb "did not enter his mind" and he thought it was related to construction work on the street. |
| Finlay Spratt from the Prison Officers Association said prison officers had continued to be targeted since the ceasefires and the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. | Finlay Spratt from the Prison Officers Association said prison officers had continued to be targeted since the ceasefires and the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. |
| "There is no let up for prison officers, we can't live a normal life, we're not allowed to live a normal life by these thugs," he said. | "There is no let up for prison officers, we can't live a normal life, we're not allowed to live a normal life by these thugs," he said. |
| "It doesn't matter how often you condemn it, it just seems to go on and on and they're attacking people who are serving the community, all the community." | "It doesn't matter how often you condemn it, it just seems to go on and on and they're attacking people who are serving the community, all the community." |
| A number of residents have been moved from their homes at Hillsborough Drive and an emergency evacuation centre has been opened at the Salvation Army on the Cregagh Road. | A number of residents have been moved from their homes at Hillsborough Drive and an emergency evacuation centre has been opened at the Salvation Army on the Cregagh Road. |
| The Woodstock Road has been closed at its junctions with Omeath Street and Ravenhill Avenue. | |
| Traffic in the area is being diverted and the road is expected to remain closed for some time. | Traffic in the area is being diverted and the road is expected to remain closed for some time. |
| As a result of the incident, Euston Street Primary School in east Belfast is advising parents that the school can be accessed from Castlereagh Road. | As a result of the incident, Euston Street Primary School in east Belfast is advising parents that the school can be accessed from Castlereagh Road. |
| Condemnation | Condemnation |
| Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers said the attack on the prison officer was "vicious". | |
| "Like all his colleagues in the prison service, this officer serves the whole of the community, in stark contrast to the people who carried out this appalling and violent crime," she added. | |
| Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said he "utterly condemned" the attack. | Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said he "utterly condemned" the attack. |
| He said there was "no place for terrorists in my vision of a new Northern Ireland". | He said there was "no place for terrorists in my vision of a new Northern Ireland". |
| Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly said: "There can be no place for such attacks in our society. | Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly said: "There can be no place for such attacks in our society. |
| "Those behind attacks like this represent no one and have nothing to offer the community." | "Those behind attacks like this represent no one and have nothing to offer the community." |
| DUP MLA Robin Newton said the person or persons who planted the device "must be condemned by all right thinking people". | DUP MLA Robin Newton said the person or persons who planted the device "must be condemned by all right thinking people". |
| "This is a despicable act and it is fortunate that we are not talking about serious injury or even a fatality today," he said. | "This is a despicable act and it is fortunate that we are not talking about serious injury or even a fatality today," he said. |