Police officers in Northern
Ireland have escaped injury after two pipe bombs were thrown at their patrol
car in north Belfast.
The officers were targeted
while responding to an emergency call in the Crumlin Road area during the early
hours of this morning.
The devices were thrown as
the two officers got out of their patrol car.
A PSNI spokeswoman said they
were not physically hurt but had been left badly shaken by the ordeal.
PSNI Chief Inspector Andy
Freeburn, area commander in north Belfast, said police were treating the attack
as attempted murder.
“This was a blatant attempt
to murder our police officers who were out protecting the community. It is just
sheer good fortune that they were not killed or seriously injured.
“The people who carried out
this attack showed a total disregard for the people within this community,” he
said.
The Crumlin Road has been
closed and a number of homes have been evacuated. Some residents have taken
shelter at Ballysillan Leisure Centre.
This is the second pipe bomb
attack on a police patrol in Belfast in less than a fortnight.
A similar device was found
after shots were fired at three police officers in the Foxes Glen area of
Twinbrook earlier this month.
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