Houben centre bomb threat

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The Houben centre bomb threat was a hoax bomb threat on 25 March 2022 in Belfast that caused the evacuation of a conference addressed by the Irish foreign Minister Simon Coveney, the disruption of a funeral in the adjacent church and the evacuation of houses in the area. [1] [2] [3] It was condemned by politicians across the political spectrum in Northern Ireland. [4]

Contents

Events

On 25 March 2022 Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney was addressing the John and Pat Hume Foundation at the Houben Centre in the grounds of Holy Cross Church on the Crumlin Road. [1] [2] [3] A van had been hijacked between 9 and 10 am in the Shankill area of the city. [3] Two men had hijacked the van, one holding a gun to the driver's head and the other telling him "Listen, or you will be shot". [5] The van was taken to Upper Charleville Street, where a suspected bomb was put in it. [5] The gunmen took the driver's driving licence, threatened his family and warned him that a car would follow him to make sure he obeyed their orders. [5] He was ordered to take the van to Holy Cross Church. [5] He drove the van to the Houben Centre on Crumlin Road, then alerted police. [5] The centre was evacuated and the suspect package was made safe by police, who determined it was a hoax. [5]

Aftermath

A funeral was halted at Holy Cross Church because of the threat. [2] 25 homes had to be evacuated and residents of a nursing home were moved to another section of the building. [2]

The driver of the hijacked van was taken to hospital because of shock. [2] He was forced to leave his home after the hijacking. [5]

The Ulster Volunteer Force are suspected of being behind the threat. [4]

A forty-year-old man who owned a gym was arrested and charged with preparation of terrorist acts, hijacking and placing an article causing a bomb hoax by police, which he denied. [5] Bail was refused in his case. [5]

The two gunmen are still be sought. [5]

Reactions

The threats were widely condemned by people across the political spectrum, including Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill. [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 McCambridge, Jonathan (30 March 2022). "Man charged over security alert which saw Simon Coveney evacuated from Belfast event". Irish Examiner . PA Media . Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "'What kind of people would do this?' Priest hits out as Belfast funeral halted in bomb alert". itv.com. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Macaulay, Conor (25 March 2022). "UVF thought to be behind Belfast security alert - PSNI". RTÉ News . Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Baker, Noel; Loughlin, Elaine (26 March 2022). "UVF suspected in Coveney bomb threat". Irish Examiner . Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Erwin, Alan (7 April 2022). "Traumatised van driver ordered to bring bomb to peace event attended by Simon Coveney has been forced to leave his home, Belfast court hears". Irish Independent . Retrieved 7 April 2022.
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