What the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) termed a viable device was discovered in the Chatsworth area of Bangor on Wednesday, August 4.
At about 7:50am, PSNI received a call from the member of the public in the Chatsworth area of Bangor reporting that there was a suspicious object in the driveway of their home.<br><br>Police attended the scene and Army Technical Officers were tasked. A controlled explosion was carried out. It was then confirmed that this was a viable device.<br><br>Speaking at a press conference at Bangor police station, C District Commander Chief Superintendent Nigel Grimshaw said: “The investigation is at an early stage however it seems to bear the hallmarks of an undercar booby trap type device. One of our lines of inquiry is that this device was attached to the vehicle and has subsequently fallen off. A device like this is only designed for one purpose and that is to kill or seriously injure and we are very fortunate that today we are not looking at a fatality or someone with very serious injuries.<br><br>"This has to be condemned outright. Clearly this is another attack on the community in Bangor and we have seen other attacks in other parts of Northern Ireland. This was a member of the community who was getting up to do their day’s work. Those behind this attack have callously put families at risk of death or serious injury and they must be condemned.<br><br>"I would appeal to the community to work with us to ensure we prevent and deter these things from happening again and that we catch the people who are doing this. The investigation will be thorough, it will be robust and we will take every opportunity we can to ensure those responsible for this attack are brought to justice but we need people to work with us, to bring forward the information.<br><br>“This is a quiet residential area of Bangor. There is only one main road into it so I would appeal to members of the public that if they have noticed anything suspicious, particularly over the last 24 hours, people or vehicles they are not familiar with to come forward and contact police locally in Bangor or at the incident room in Belfast."<br><br>Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0845 600 8000. Alternatively, information about crime can be passed anonymously to the Crimestoppers charity by calling 0800 555 111."<br><br>Meanwhile the most senior detective in North and West Belfast recently released the first photographs of people his team would like to speak to in connection with the investigation into disturbances at Ardoyne over the July Twelfth period.<br><br>Detective Chief Inspector Alan Little, who is heading a team of 20 officers solely dedicated to probing the disorder, said he was hopeful that members of the public would assist police in identifying 14 people who he believes could help officers with their enquiries into some of the most serious incidents.<br><br>“Today I am asking the public to help us identify 14 individuals whom we’d like to talk to in connection with our investigation into the disorder that wreaked havoc on the local community in Ardoyne and put both local residents and police officers at risk of serious injury or even worse.<br><br>“It is in everybody’s interest – as well as in the interest of justice – that those responsible are charged and brought before the courts,” he said.<br><br>Detectives across Belfast have so far made 42 arrests in connection with the disturbances, 22 of which relate to disorder in North and West Belfast. DCI Little again stressed his commitment to carrying out a thorough and painstaking investigation which he hopes will result in a significant number of further arrests.<br><br>“Following the serious disturbances, we made a commitment to the community to do everything possible to bring those responsible to justice.<br><br>“Since then we have been carrying out a robust and extensive investigation. My detectives have been sifting through hundreds of hours of CCTV and other media coverage, several thousand still photographs and a substantial amount of web footage. In addition, we have gathered forensic evidence and conducted area searches.<br><br>“Everything we can do to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice is being done, and now we are asking the public for their help,” he said.
