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LAST UPDATE | 23 Sep 2019
A NORTH BELFAST school was evacuated earlier today following the discovery of a suspicious object on its grounds.
At around 2.30pm, police attended the report of a suspicious object found in the grounds of the Holy Cross Boys’ Primary School in north Belfast.
The school was evacuated as a result of the discovery, made by the school’s principal, Kevin McArevey.
PSNI Chief Superintendent Jonathan Roberts said the improvised weapon had the “potential to fire a high-calibre round”.
“This weapon was most likely to have been left there by dissident republican terrorists and was destined to be used in an attempt to kill or seriously injure police officers who are serving and protecting the community of north Belfast,” Roberts said.
The fact that it was left in the grounds of a local primary school shows that those responsible have callous disregard for local children and members of the local community.
Speaking to UTV earlier today, McArevey described the moment he found the suspect device while he was out unblocking the sewers.
“Today I was helping the caretaker unblock the sewers. I lifted a manhole cover … and, to my surprise, I saw a plastic bag with what seemed to be something heavy in it,” McArevey said.
“I initially thought it was a spade, a small spade, so I lifted it out myself and unravelled the packaging – only to be surprised to see wires at the top of this object,” he said.
It immediately aroused my suspicions, so I rang the police.
UTV / TwitterA principal speaks out about the shocking moment he found a suspect device on the grounds of his primary school, sparking a bomb alert and the evacuation of nearly 300 children: https://t.co/2itstkXUsh pic.twitter.com/e43o2BnIvS
— UTV (@utv) September 23, 2019
Chief Superintendent Roberts has thanked the local community for their “patience and understanding” while the operation continues.
“I understand that this has caused disruption to the children attending the school, to their parents, to the school staff and the wider community,” he said.
He added that there is likely to be further disruption to the school tomorrow morning until police can “absolutely satisfy ourselves that there is no risk”.
Roberts slammed the incident as “an act of utmost recklessness and a highly stupid act”.
Those responsible do not represent any kind of cause; they do not represent any section of the community. They have endangered the lives of children.
“The weapon was left in the immediate area where the youngest children who attend school would be playing during the course of the school day.”
SDLP north Belfast MLA Nichola Mallon has condemned those behind the suspect device.
“This is disgraceful. To create a device and then hide it in the grounds of a primary school shows how low these people will go and the complete disregard and disrespect they have for the community,” Mallon said.
“No principal and no school should have to experience this,” she said.
Mallon added that she has been in touch with McArevey to offer her full support.
“This school is a proud part of the heart of the community in Ardoyne. The boys who go to it are the future,” she said.
PSNI detectives from the terrorism investigation unit have commenced an investigation into the incident.
Police are appealing to anyone with information who may have noticed suspicious activity in the area recently to contact detectives on 101, quoting reference 1169 23/09/19.
Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to UK Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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Brave men.
@SFNutters: true heroes
@SFNutters: Mi5 at it a again they tried it before
Is anyone else getting suspicious about the total ineffectiveness of the DV dissidents in relation to attacking Police, but apparently their expertise has been demonstrated in the attack on the businessman in Cavan (who had been attacked over 50 times previously before the police and Gardai are now sure it was dissidents). Yhis whole ere thing stinks.
@DaMoons: The only thing that stinks is that a pack of unmitigated savages think in 2019 that they can get away with a depraved attack on a human being like that. This is now a national security issue both sides of the border and the full weight of both states needs to be brought to bear.
@Paddy J: stop being so naive mi5 tried this before
Wheres the proof it was republicans .. they are like the bogey men of crime now! Heard it was a republican that robbed a twix out of ol bridies shop down the road too last week shame on them
@Jasun Ó Cearnaigh: Why the need to downplay the threat from dissident republicans. Did they not murder a journalist earlier this year and then threaten to murder anybody who passed information to the police? They have murdered soldiers and prison officers as well as put bombs under the cars of PSNI officers over the last 10 years. The threat is very real.
@Jasun Ó Cearnaigh: yeh I heard about the Twix robbery. I believe the perps used a JCB to break through the wall. Or was I thinking of ATMs?
@Paddy J: mi5 tried to planning shooting up a school before.
Ill preface this with I am a FF voter and NOT a SF Republican. I dont believe this. Not for a second. RUC are known to have previously planned to shoot up a school. Even their own Loyalist paramilitaries refused. IRA never went there. They know the WHOLE community would turn on them. Something fishy.
@sean: no call to say it wasn’t the dissidents that were involved.
@sean: not at all. According to the article it was a device designed to fire a high calibre projectile, the device itself wasn’t a ‘bomb’ in the traditional sense from the sounds of it. If it was designed to fire something it would make sense that it be set up in ‘friendly’ territory to hit a target in an ‘unfriendly’ area. It was quite a common set up previously I believe.
@Nigel Barlow: sure their full of british agents why would they
@Vocal Outrage: Thanks for that, makes a bit more sense now, still though the chances of it misfiring or hitting the wrong target must have been high (if it was viable), either a severely badly planned operation by Republicans or a very well thought out plan by someone trying to implicate Republicans.
Absolute cowards.
@Dermot Foley: I agree, 80 attacks in a year and the Gardai never found the guts to arrest anyone in relation to the crimes. Makes me sick. Heads need to roll. Where is our new Garda commissioner? Why has nothing been done about this before it got to this point.
How can these sub humans be among us.
Ok so I know that the Holy Cross girl’s school is/was a predominantly Catholic school which was picketed by Protestants in 2001/2, is the Holy Cross boy’s school predominantly Catholic too? They use Irish on their website and have their sign on the front of the school translated to Irish aswell. If this is correct (I’d be delighted if someone who knows more could clarify) why would dissident Republicans target it? Something doesn’t seem to add up. P.S no matter who did this Republican or Unionist it is absolutely reprehensible l would just like to know the facts around it.
What duffock is going on up there??
@John Murray: they are creating bogeyman for crimes they either don’t want to solve or can’t solve. The same thing is going on in Dublin, they call it gang land war fare. To me, it’s just crime. But under resources means its pushed into a case file called ‘we don’t have the resources, so let’s give it a name” so people get off our backs about it.
@DaMoons: yes and no. I can appreciate the ease of blaming a lack of resources so labelling it as such, but historically, and globally, crime has gone hand in glove with terrorism, both as a cover for crime, but also as a funding source for terrorism
Don’t believe the media here constantly linking dissident republicians to everything they most be flat out working 24/7 every story lately is linking them
Fake news
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