The security forces are back on alert this morning following a bomb explosion underneath a car in east Belfast.

The area around the property at Kingsdale Park was cordoned off earlier and the Gilnahirk Road closed.

An ambulance was called to the scene to take one injured person to hospital where an Ambulance Service spokesperson said the woman suffered slight redness to her arm and ringing in her ears.

An East Belfast DUP MLA - who visited the scene - said it was "only by the Grace of Almighty God that this cowardly act was not even more horrific".

"Those who carried out this despicable act must be condemned and information given to the police so that those responsible can be taken before the courts," said the Stormont Junior Minister this afternoon.

It is understood that the intended target may have been an off-duty member of the security forces.

However, a woman without any security force connections had just got into the car to drive off when the device triggered. It is thought the victim is the police officer's partner.

The SDLP Deputy Leader Dr Alasdair McDonnell has also condemned the explosion at Kingsdale Road.

Dr McDonnell, who carries out a great deal of work for communities in the east Belfast area, said attacks of this nature had no justification: "I condemn this stupid attack. I would like to think that over the past 10 or 11 years we would have left this sort of madness behind us. Any attack of this nature, or any violence, cannot be justified, even by the warped standards the perpetrators adopt," he said.

"I would like to express my sympathies and support to those targeted and his family."

The blast comes just hours after a security operation that closed the village of Clady for more than 24 hours was declared an "elaborate hoax".

A van was abandoned on a bridge in the Tyrone village on Wednesday night with its warning lights on.

Yesterday afternoon, a controlled explosion was carried out on the van after police were told a 600lb bomb was in it.

An officer at the scene told the BBC: "We have to take the threat level into consideration."

Inspector Ivan Morton said he believed dissident republicans were responsible, and said the risk to life had been "very, very real".

He also said recent events, such as the 600lb bomb found in Co Armagh last month, meant police had to proceed with extreme caution.

The SDLP's Strabane Councillor Eugene McMenamin has since condemned those responsible for the elaborate bomb hoax at Clady on Thursday.

"This is a terrible act by somebody who has deliberately set out to cause fear and anxiety within the community.

"The people who planned this hoax have warped logic if they believe their behaviour is helping some cause. All this is doing is frustrating the local community and causing fear and panic within hardworking families and businesses trying to battle their way through difficult financial times," he said.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that two men, aged 34 and 28, have been arrested and are being questioned about the Clady incident.

(BMcC/GK)