Friday, 22 July 2022 | 14.8°C Belfast
P olice say occupants of house were very lucky to escape injury
Forensic officers at the scene after an explosive device was detonated in Kinnegar Road, south Belfast
The scene at Kinnegar Road in south Belfast where an explosive device detonated on the doorstep of a house. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye
Police at the scene of the bomb attack in Kinnegar Road
Kurtis Reid and Andrew Balfour
A pipe bomb attack on a house in South Belfast has been described as “sheer wanton lunacy”.
T he device exploded at the front door of the property in the Kinnegar Road area of Finaghy on Friday morning.
Police have said the occupants of the house were very lucky to escape injury.
The device exploded causing substantial damage to the front door of the property, but no one was injured. It was later taken away for further examination.
An area around the property was cordoned off on Friday morning but had reopened by mid-afternoon.
Sinn Fein councillor Geraldine McAteer said: “The attack at Kinnegar Road was sheer wanton lunacy.
“To leave an explosive device at a person’s door last night just shows that the perpetrators did not care if they might kill or injure the occupants or passers-by.”
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Ms McAteer said the attack was “very sinister”.
“There is no place at all in our society for men to bomb the homes of people with the intention of killing or injuring them nor to disrupt and terrify local residents,” she added.
“I am very relieved that no-one was hurt.”
The PSNI said they received a call at 12.10am after a report of a loud explosion.
They added: “One male wearing all black clothing is believed to be involved and may have left the area along Benmore Drive toward Mount Aboo Park following the incident.”
Alliance councillor Micky Murray said it was a wonder no-one was hurt in the blast.
"I've had contact from residents, people are quite shocked," he told the BBC.
"We could have been waking up to a very different headline this morning."
Mr Murray said the incident had caused a lot of anxiety for residents.
"This is a very quiet area, very settled and there is very little disruption that happens," he added.
"We don't know if this was a one-off incident, if it was planned and that's the worry for people here, just living with the constant anxiety of what's next."
Local SDLP councillor Donal Lyons said the device exploding “put the local community at risk”.
He added: “I cannot imagine what was going through the minds of those who left an explosive device outside a home in a built-up part of Finaghy.
"We are extremely lucky that nobody was injured when this device went off outside this home. This is a quiet residential street and the damage and anxiety it has caused is significant.”
“I’d ask anybody who saw anything on Friday morning or knows anything about this attack to come forward to police as soon as possible and assist them with their investigation.”
A PSNI spokesperson said: "Enquiries are continuing and we would appeal to anyone who saw any persons or vehicles acting suspiciously in the area, or who may have CCTV or dashcam footage to contact detectives.”
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