Armagh Alert Declared 'Hoax'

A bomb alert in the centre of Armagh was "an elaborate hoax", the police have said.

The area around Mall East, Mall West, College Hill and the courthouse was cordoned off but has now been reopened.

It was the second security alert for Armagh inside a few days and followed the discovery of a suspicious object in the Mall area at about 3.30am on Monday.

An Army bomb disposal team examined the object this morning and made the area safe.

Last week, the police discovered what they described as a "horizontal mortar-type device" following a security alert in Armagh City.

Bomb disposal experts were called to deal with the suspicious device in Friary Road on Wednesday night after a member of the public raised the alert.

"It was that information that helped us pinpoint exactly where the device was, so it could be dealt with by bomb disposal experts," the District Commander Chief Superintendent said.

"The device was then made safe by Army Technical Officers, who have since confirmed that this was a viable explosive device capable of causing serious injury or indeed death."

(BMcC/KMcA)