Peaking at Police Headquarters on Friday night, Assistant Chief of Staff Mark McGuinn condemned the “disgraceful” attack that was interrupted by a peace building attended by Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney. Between 9 and 10 a.m. This morning, a van was hijacked near Shankill Street on Sydney Street West. The driver of the van was threatened by two gunmen and forced to drive Vauxhall’s white van a short distance to another road where a device had been placed in the van. The victim was then forced to drive to the Holy Cross Chapel in North Belfast. ACC McEwan said: “Just think about it, the victim believed at this point that he was driving a van containing a live bomb and that his family was being threatened.” More than 25 homes were evacuated during the security alarm, local schools were hit and vulnerable residents of a nursing home had to be relocated to a different part of the building. The funeral service was also adjourned. With the device being branded as a hoax, ACC McEwan said the goal of those in charge was to cause the utmost inconvenience to the local community. His early assessment was that the loyal paramilitaries were responsible, with the main suspect being the UVF. He appealed for information about the gunman and the movements of the white van Vauxhall, classified XJZ7908. ACC McEwan said he would not speculate on whether Simon Coveney was the target or whether he would require additional security in the future. He also could not be sure if the weapons used were real, but said the threat was real to the driver at the time. He said the driver had since been taken to hospital for treatment and said he remained a major safety threat in Northern Ireland, meaning “an attack is possible”. After the press conference, Foreign Secretary for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis said: “Today’s incident at the Houben Center in North Belfast is a reminder that there is a small minority willing to use force to advance their goals. “My thoughts are with the driver who went through a horrific ordeal, the family who were having a funeral, and Simon Coveney and everyone else who was hurt. “These actions are reprehensible. I strongly condemn those involved and thank them and reiterate my full support for PSNI and its security partners and urge anyone with any information to contact the police.” Justice Minister Naomi Long condemned those responsible for the security alert and called on anyone with information to make it public. Ms Long said: “Today, a man who left home to do his job on a sunny Friday morning was threatened at gunpoint. “He was told his family was in danger and he had to drive what he thought was a live bomb to a church. It must have been a completely scary experience. “Today, a grieving family had the last goodbye to their loved one. 25 houses were evacuated and the residents of a nursing home had to move out of their rooms. “Those who orchestrated and designed this hard and hard chain of events, intended to cause the greatest upset and agony to people who were just going on with their lives. “They do not care about the local communities, nor about the anxiety and emotional trauma caused by their reckless actions. “We have come a long way to go back in time and I would urge anyone with any information – however trivial it may seem – to contact the police or the Crimestoppers.”
