Fresh Alerts As Dissidents Condemned

The NI Secretary of State has condemned those responsible for leaving a 500lb bomb near Newry last week - but Owen Paterson's words after the PSNI described the bomb as "sophisticated and substantial" - seem to have gone unheeded as fresh alerts have been testing the police again today.

Two security alerts have ended with the M1 now reopened after being closed in both directions near Lurgan following the discovery of a suspect item while the PSNI was also been investigating the discovery of a suspicious device in the Bushford Manor area in Antrim.

That security alert has now been declared "a hoax" after the Army carried out a controlled explosion in the Steeple Road area of Antrim.

Residents, who were evacuated during the incident on Monday morning, have now been allowed back to their homes.

Today's news has further increased tensions with the senior UK politician commenting after a huge bomb was abandoned on the main Belfast to Dublin road less than a week after the murder of PSNI constable Ronan Kerr in Omagh by dissident republican elements determined to wreck the Peace Process.

Commenting after the police were criticised over their handling of the situation when hundreds of motorists drove past the van containing the bomb - after cones cordoning it off were removed - Owen Paterson said the police handling of the security alert was an "operational matter".

He added: "There are questions that need to be answered and I will put them to the Chief Constable and the Justice Minister when I meet with them next week. I am not going to comment until I have spoken to them."

The Acting NI Policing Board Chairman, Brian Rea, also condemned the attack and said: "The pure purpose of this bomb was to cause death and destruction. The public and political revulsion at the murder of Constable Kerr clearly shows that the people of Northern Ireland do not want any more devastation inflicted on our community and our police service."

Mr Rea also insisted that police had done all they could to make the area safe: "Motorists appeared not to be willing to obey the police direction. The road closure sign and cones were set out but they were removed.

"Police have to be extremely careful when they enter into this type of situation and often they have to leave it some time before it is safe for them to do so."

Speaking today, PSNI Chief Superintendent Alasdair Robinson said a full cordon was put in place when the suspect vehicle was located, but some members of the public had "breached" the police cordon.

"You can't blame all of the people who drove past because they came to what they thought was an open road," he said.

"We checked the cordon and we put police back in to close them down," he said, noting that they would review their use of signage.

"The police were on the ground but as far as we were concerned the cordon was complete."

Alliance Newry and Armagh representative David Murphy has also condemned those responsible for the bomb and said events in the past week have shown the public to be united in their opposition to the recent spate of terrorist activity.

Mr Murphy said: "The vast majority of the public have signed up to the Peace Process, it is about time these inhuman thugs realise that they have no support for their actions.

"I would urge anybody with any information about this bomb to contact the police.

"By providing good information to the police we can hopefully put an end to these attacks," he said.

(JG/BMcC)