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Dissidents linked to pipe bomb found near west Belfast school Pipe bomb may have been thrown at police in west Belfast
(about 1 hour later)
Police have said dissident republicans are suspected of planting a pipe bomb which was found close to a school in west Belfast. Police have said they believe a large pipe bomb which was found close to a school in west Belfast may have been thrown at them overnight.
St Teresa's Primary School was closed and a number of homes were evacuated after the device was found early on Tuesday morning. They said dissident republicans were suspected of being behind the device on the Glen Road.
It was discovered on the Glen Road while emergency services dealt with a fire at a shop in the area. St Teresa's Primary School was closed and a number of homes were evacuated after it was found early on Tuesday morning.
Ch Supt Mark Hamilton said the device had the capacity to "maim or kill". It was found while emergency services dealt with a fire at a Spar shop.
He said it was thanks to the "close observations" of a police officer that the pipe bomb had been found and that the "finger of suspicion" pointed towards dissident republicans. Police said another line of inquiry was the fire had been started to lure police officers to the area.
"At around 03:00 GMT police and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service attended a report of a fire at business premises at the Glen Road area," he said. Ch Supt Mark Hamilton said it was thanks to the "close observations" of a police officer that the pipe bomb had been discovered and that the "finger of suspicion" pointed towards dissident republicans.
"After re-examining the scene, police discovered a suspicious object in the area. "We are trying to establish whether or not it is connected to the fire," he added.
"The device has been taken away for further examination but we can confirm that it was a viable pipe bomb which had the capacity to kill or maim. "We are continuing to examine the circumstances of the fire to see if it was deliberate or not.
"I have talked to the army bomb squad and this could have had horrendous consequences if someone had picked it up." "The worrying thing is that people would try and attack us in this way, but secondly it did not detonate initially and it was only by the close observations of a good police officer that we found it.
Mr Hamilton said it was "particularly chilling" given the fact that a primary school was so close to the scene. "If we had not found it, it would have lain there this morning.
"It is directly opposite a primary school and the chances are the first people to have come across it would have been families coming to school this morning.
"I have had discussions with the Army bomb squad and this could have had horrendous consequences if someone had picked it up."
Mr Hamilton said the device was found on the footpath in front of the Spar shop after the fire service attended the blaze there at 03:00 GMT.
Mr Hamilton added that the device which had the capacity "to kill or maim" had been taken away for further examination.
He said it was "particularly chilling" given the fact that a primary school was so close to the scene.
"This is a residential area and we could have been looking at serious tragedy here," he said."This is a residential area and we could have been looking at serious tragedy here," he said.
"There is absolutely no doubt that this device was intended to murder and we would ask anyone with any information in relation to this incident to come forward and tell us what they know about this.""There is absolutely no doubt that this device was intended to murder and we would ask anyone with any information in relation to this incident to come forward and tell us what they know about this."
Police thanked local residents for their patience while the army dealt with the device. Police thanked local residents for their patience while the Army dealt with the device.
They said they would make every effort to get residents back into their homes as soon as possible. They said the Glen Road had now reopened and that residents had been allowed back in their homes.