Northern Ireland police recover suspected pipe bombs ahead of Biden visit
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US President Joe Biden boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on April 11 for his flight to Ireland.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Police in Northern Ireland said on Tuesday they had recovered four suspected pipe bombs from a cemetery near the city of Londonderry following a public safety operation.
The discovery comes hours before US President Joe Biden is due to arrive in Belfast, about 110km south-east of Londonderry.
On Monday, police said a number of masked people attacked a police vehicle with petrol bombs and other objects at a parade opposing the Good Friday peace accord in Londonderry.
The devices were found in an area linked to that parade, police said.
“The discovery of these devices was a further sinister and worrying development,” Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said.
Mr Biden was scheduled to arrive in Belfast late on Tuesday at a delicate political time in Northern Ireland a peace deal that largely ended 30 years of bloodshed
Pipe bombs are crude improvised explosive devices that were used in the past by militants in Northern Ireland, and are often around the size of a hand grenade. They are made by tightly filling a section of pipe with explosives.
Police said the operation in the cemetery is now complete and police officers have left the scene. The devices were discovered at 0530 GMT (1.30pm Singapore time) on Tuesday.
“Colleagues from Terrorism Investigation Unit will now lead on this investigation,” Mr Singleton said.
In March, Britain’s MI5 intelligence agency increased the threat level in Northern Ireland from domestic terrorism to “severe” – meaning an attack is highly likely – though the move was not thought to be linked to the anniversary. REUTERS
