Homes evacuated in west Belfast and Dervock after two security alerts
Homes were evacuated in west Belfast and in Dervock, Ballymoney, on Friday 30 October after police found suspicious devices and an object. A man was arrested.
Homes have been evacuated in west Belfast and in Dervock, near Ballymoney, after two separate security alerts on Friday 30 October. In Belfast, police found “a number of suspicious devices” during a search. A 35-year-old man arrested under the Terrorism Act remains in custody.
Shankill Road area, Belfast
Police said they were searching two properties in the Shankill Road area as part of an investigation into suspected terrorism offences. Officers later attended a house in Edwina Street, off the Shankill Road, with Army Ammunition Technical Officers (ATO).
On Friday evening, police said a safety cordon was in place and asked the public to avoid the area. Residents were evacuated.
DUP councillor Ian McLaughlin said he was “shocked and saddened”. He said he understood what began as a “low level house search” had quickly escalated. He called it an “unwanted and completely unwarranted incident” in what he described as a normally quiet community.
TUV councillor Ron McDowell said police should be “given the time and space to conclude their investigation”.
Dervock, Ballymoney
The PSNI confirmed that a suspicious object was found in the Greystone Crescent area of Ballymoney, in County Antrim. Police cordons were in place. Residents told to leave their homes gathered at a nearby Orange hall or went to family and friends.
Barry Thompson, whose home was evacuated, told BBC News NI that many elderly residents had been left shocked and unsettled. He believed as many as 40 homes were affected.
“They’re worried, they’re afraid. They’re in a bit of shock too,” he said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this in the village. And I’ve lived here all my life.”
Source: BBC News
