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Northern Ireland bomb alert closes Belfast motorway Northern Ireland bomb alert closes Belfast motorway
(about 5 hours later)
The main motorway link between Belfast and Dublin has been closed due to a bomb alert. The main motorway linking Belfast to Dublin has been reopened after a bomb alert temporarily closed the M1 at the end of one of the bloodiest and most active periods of dissident republican violence in almost a year.
Two army bomb disposal teams have been sent to the scene around Stockmans Lane in south Belfast. While the Police Service of Northern Ireland has allowed motorists to again use the M1 between the two cities after the security shut down earlier on Saturday, their counterparts across the border are still hunting for the chief suspect in a murder that took place in Derry on Thursday morning.
The M1 motorway between Broadway in Belfast and Lisburn has been shut by the police. Armed Garda Síochána officers almost intercepted the ex-Real IRA prisoner Kieran McLaughlin at a farmhouse in Co Donegal late on Friday night. While they surrounded a barn in Burnfoot just across the border from Derry it is understood that the 58-year-old veteran republican had fled from the area only an hour earlier.
The latest alert comes after 1,000 people had to be moved from their homes in Derry early on Friday due to the discovery of an explosive device near the city's main police station. McLaughlin is wanted for questioning about the murder on Thursday morning of Barry McGrory at a flat in Derry city centre. The PSNI took the unprecedented step of naming McLaughlin as the chief suspect in the killing of the father of four. An all-Ireland manhunt is still under way to track down McLaughlin, who has served several prison sentences for the Real IRA and, earlier, the Irish National Liberation Army.
Police in Northern Ireland said the device was part of a mortar which was going to be fired at Strand Road PSNI station. Meanwhile the PSNI are still questioning a 39-year-old man arrested in west Belfast on Friday over the murder of Kevin Kearney, whose body was found dumped in a lake in a public park on Wednesday. The dissident republican New IRA admitted responsibility for murdering Kearney.
Meanwhile Gardai across the border have joined in the hunt for a republican veteran and former prisoner from Derry who is the chief suspect in the murder of a local man on Thursday morning. As well being behind two murders, dissident republicans were also responsible for a series of bomb alerts across Belfast and Derry over the last week.
Kieran McLaughlin is on the run after the PSNI released a statement on Friday saying they wanted to question him over the shooting of 34-year-old Barry McGrory at a flat in Derry city centre 24 hours earlier. The PSNI also released a photograph of the wanted man and a detailed description of him. The New IRA also tried to fire a mortar bomb device at Derry's main police station at Strand Road on Friday but the attack was thwarted after a huge security operation in the city that at one stage forced 1,000 people out of their homes.
The 58-year-old is a former prisoner who served a jail sentence for the Real IRA after he was caught with a sniper rifle in Derry a decade ago. The planned attack on the station had been designed to coincide with the opening of an international investment conference in Belfast, which was attended by David Cameron.
On Friday night armed officers from the Garda's emergency response unit surrounded a property in Burnfoot, County Donegal, where they believed McLaughlin may have been hiding. However, no arrests were made after the Gardai entered the house. The latest security alert caused traffic chaos and disruption to the lives of those in nearby homes, and was condemned by the SDLP's Fearghal McKinney.
The PSNI and the Garda have warned members of the public not to approach McLaughlin if they come across him. He said: "There have been a number of security alerts in Belfast in the past week and there has been a hugely negative impact on not only traffic movement around the city but more importantly … those who have had to leave their homes to ensure their safety.
"Those responsible for this latest alert must know that they have no support. I completely condemn those responsible for this incident and would urge anyone with any information to contact the PSNI."
Police have confirmed that there have been alleged sightings of McLaughlin in Derry. They have also appealed to the republican veteran to give himself up.
DCI Ian Harrison of the PSNI said: "We are continuing to appeal to the public for their assistance in establishing the current whereabouts of 58-year-old Kieran McLaughlin. I can confirm there have been a number of unconfirmed sightings of Mr McLaughlin in the Derry area but it is imperative that future sightings of Kieran are reported to police immediately and reiterate to the public not to approach him, but to contact police on 999 if you think you know of his whereabouts.
"I would also emphasise to Kieran to contact police immediately as we are actively seeking to speak with you. It is our wish that this matter is resolved without further incident."
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