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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Belfast bomb alert M2 and M3 motorways reopen | Belfast bomb alert M2 and M3 motorways reopen |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A security alert which brought motorway traffic to a standstill in Belfast has ended. | A security alert which brought motorway traffic to a standstill in Belfast has ended. |
| Police investigated a car that had been abandoned under a motorway bridge at Dock street. | Police investigated a car that had been abandoned under a motorway bridge at Dock street. |
| The M2 and M3 were closed for a time but have now reopened. However, motorists are still being advised to avoid Brougham Street, Dock Street and the Garmoyle Street areas. | |
| Police said they dealt with 14 alerts across Northern Ireland on Friday. | |
| Chief Superintendent Alan Todd said it was a difficult situation but it was improving. | |
| He added that alerts were "clearly designed and deliberately designed to inconvenience the public and to create a very difficult start to what should be an enjoyable bank holiday weekend for the communities across the province. | |
| "We have responded to those incidents and we've done so quickly and efficiently with the object of getting people back on the move as quickly as possible." | "We have responded to those incidents and we've done so quickly and efficiently with the object of getting people back on the move as quickly as possible." |
| Hoaxes | Hoaxes |
| An alert at a railway crossing at Ashley Park in Dunmurry is ongoing. Trains between Belfast and Lisburn have been stopped and army bomb officers are on their way to the scene. | |
| The Sydenham Bypass heading west/north towards the M3 is tailed back onto the A2 Belfast Road at the Holywood Exchange. The Westlink heading north is tailed back to Broadway. | The Sydenham Bypass heading west/north towards the M3 is tailed back onto the A2 Belfast Road at the Holywood Exchange. The Westlink heading north is tailed back to Broadway. |
| For traffic coming into Belfast on the M2, the situation has now eased. | For traffic coming into Belfast on the M2, the situation has now eased. |
| A security alert on the Strand Road in Londonderry has now ended. | A security alert on the Strand Road in Londonderry has now ended. |
| Several of the security alerts that have caused disruption across Belfast have been declared hoaxes. | Several of the security alerts that have caused disruption across Belfast have been declared hoaxes. |
| ATO examined a vehicle on Brougham Street and carried out a controlled explosion. | |
| Stockmans Way off Stockmans Lane was reopened after being closed due to a report of a suspicious object. | Stockmans Way off Stockmans Lane was reopened after being closed due to a report of a suspicious object. |
| It was declared an elaborate hoax. | It was declared an elaborate hoax. |
| A number of people had to leave a shopping centre, during another alert in the Royal Avenue area of Belfast, but nothing was found in a police search. | A number of people had to leave a shopping centre, during another alert in the Royal Avenue area of Belfast, but nothing was found in a police search. |
| There were also three bomb alerts in Newtownabbey which were all hoaxes. | There were also three bomb alerts in Newtownabbey which were all hoaxes. |
| A suspicious device found at Finaghy Road North in Belfast near the railway line also turned out to be a hoax. | A suspicious device found at Finaghy Road North in Belfast near the railway line also turned out to be a hoax. |