Bomb blast coincides with N Ireland milestone
The Northern Ireland assembly on Monday appointed its first locally-elected justice minister in almost four decades, marking a key milestone in the normalisation of security arrangements in the province following years of civil conflict.
The appointment of David Ford, leader of the non sectarian Alliance party as the new justice minister, comes just hours after a bomb blast outside the barracks in county Down which acts as the local headquarters of MI5, the security service.
The bomb was claimed by the Real IRA, a breakaway republican group opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process.
The blast at Palace Barracks occurred around midnight on Sunday. Officials believe the bomb was timed precisely to coincide with the legal transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster to the Stormont assembly.
Agreement on policing devolution is seen by the UK government as the last piece in the jigsaw of the Northern Ireland political settlement, and followed the successful outcome of lengthy negotiations in January which at one point threatened to collapse the power sharing institutions.
Shaun Woodward, Northern Ireland secretary, said the democratic handover of these new responsibilities “stands in stark contrast to the activity of a criminal few who will not accept the will of the majority of people of Northern Ireland”.
The Real IRA, which was set up in 1995 by disaffected IRA members, claimed responsibility for the murder of two British army sappers at a military barracks in county Antrim in March last year.
The choice of target for its latest attack is clearly designed to suggest to ordinary republicans – despite devolution and the policing reforms – the continuing presence of the hated British security services in Northern Ireland.
The attack underlines the fragility of the political settlement in Northern Ireland and the ongoing security threat posed by dissident republican groups.
The bomb went off as the surrounding area was still being evacuated. An elderly man was treated for minor injuries.
A taxi had earlier been hijacked in north Belfast, with the driver held hostage for two hours before being ordered to carry the bomb in his car to the barracks.
“There is no question in my mind it was designed to kill or seriously injure and that’s exactly what would have happened, were it not the actions of my officers,” said Nigel Grimshaw, chief superintendent with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The appointment of David Ford, leader of the non sectarian Alliance party as the new justice minister, comes just hours after a bomb blast outside the barracks in county Down which acts as the local headquarters of MI5, the security service.
The bomb was claimed by the Real IRA, a breakaway republican group opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process.
The blast at Palace Barracks occurred around midnight on Sunday. Officials believe the bomb was timed precisely to coincide with the legal transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster to the Stormont assembly.
Agreement on policing devolution is seen by the UK government as the last piece in the jigsaw of the Northern Ireland political settlement, and followed the successful outcome of lengthy negotiations in January which at one point threatened to collapse the power sharing institutions.
Shaun Woodward, Northern Ireland secretary, said the democratic handover of these new responsibilities “stands in stark contrast to the activity of a criminal few who will not accept the will of the majority of people of Northern Ireland”.
The Real IRA, which was set up in 1995 by disaffected IRA members, claimed responsibility for the murder of two British army sappers at a military barracks in county Antrim in March last year.
The choice of target for its latest attack is clearly designed to suggest to ordinary republicans – despite devolution and the policing reforms – the continuing presence of the hated British security services in Northern Ireland.
The attack underlines the fragility of the political settlement in Northern Ireland and the ongoing security threat posed by dissident republican groups.
The bomb went off as the surrounding area was still being evacuated. An elderly man was treated for minor injuries.
A taxi had earlier been hijacked in north Belfast, with the driver held hostage for two hours before being ordered to carry the bomb in his car to the barracks.
“There is no question in my mind it was designed to kill or seriously injure and that’s exactly what would have happened, were it not the actions of my officers,” said Nigel Grimshaw, chief superintendent with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
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