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Belfast: 'Device' thrown at police patrol in Short Strand Belfast: Hand grenade thrown at police patrol in Short Strand
(about 3 hours later)
Police and members of the public could have been killed when a "device" was thrown at a PSNI patrol, Chief Constable George Hamilton has said. A "military-style hand grenade" was thrown at a police patrol in Belfast but failed to explode, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has said.
The unidentified object was thrown at officers in Short Strand area of east Belfast on Friday night. There was no explosion and no damage was caused. The attack took place in the Short Strand, in the east of the city, at about 22:15 BST on Friday.
On his Twitter account, Mr Hamilton described it as an "act of madness". The grenade was thrown at officers near Pottingers Quay, as they responded to reports of anti-social behaviour.
A number of homes were evacuated while Army bomb officers examined the object. It was the second attack in Belfast with 48 hours targeting police or those with links to the security forces.
An area between the Albertbridge Road and the Bridge End flyover remains cordoned off. On Thursday, a bomb found was found in Linden Gardens, north Belfast, that police said may have fallen from a car belonging to a man with connections to the armed forces.
'Act of madness'
A senior Belfast police officer, Supt Bobby Singleton, said the Short Strand attack had taken place in a built-up residential area and added that it was "only by sheer good fortune that we do not have a fatality on our hands".
Supt Singleton added: "Those who carried out this attack showed a total disregard for the safety of the local community and worryingly, for the second time in as many days, young people who were in the vicinity at the time of the attack."
Earlier, PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton described the Short Strand attack as an "act of madness".
Writing on his Twitter account, Mr Hamilton said it "could have killed or injured police or local residents".
A number of homes were evacuated on Friday night while Army bomb officers examined the unexploded grenade.
No damage was caused and none of the police officers was injured.
Supt Singleton said it was "the second attempt by terrorists to kill people in Belfast in 48 hours".
"Thankfully, on both occasions, they failed but I would appeal to people to remain vigilant and appeal to everyone in the community to continue to work with police by providing information to us so we can keep everyone safe."
The Short Strand security operation in continuing and area between the Albertbridge Road and the Bridge End flyover remains cordoned off.