A soldier was yesterday said to be ‘very, very lucky’ to be alive after finding a terrorist bomb planted in his car on a visit to his girlfriend in Northern Ireland.
Dissident republicans opposed to the peace process placed the murderous device beneath the driver’s seat after the soldier left the Vauxhall Astra unlocked.
But the off-duty serviceman, who is not based in Northern Ireland, cheated death after spotting the booby-trap while cleaning the vehicle before picking up a child from school.
At the scene: A bomb disposal crew preparesHe noticed a trip wire which connected the seatbelt to the device on Thursday.
Police said there could have been massive bloodshed if the bomb on a housing estate in Belfast had exploded.
Despite the narrow escape the soldier, from Scotland, is expected to be hauled over the coals by the Army for breaching strict personal security orders.
His parked car was left open outside his long-term girlfriend’s home in nationalist north Belfast and he is understood to have ignored safety guidance by telling several people he was a member of the Armed Forces.
The vehicle was also described as a ‘party car’ by local politicians who said it had been used to transport revellers to celebrations across the Ligoniel district on Wednesday night.
This alerted terrorists belonging to Oglaigh na hEireann, a splinter group of the Continuity IRA, to his whereabouts and movements.
The faction, blamed in the past for leaving a string of pipe bombs outside the homes of Police Service of Northern Ireland officers, claimed responsibility for the foiled attack.
An Army source said: ‘We have very strict guidelines and protocols and give regular advice to personnel both serving in and visiting Northern Ireland to take personal security very seriously.’
He said the soldier would be ‘invited in for a conversation without coffee’ – meaning a severe dressing down from a senior officer.
Around 30 families had to be evacuated from their homes on the housing estate when the car bomb was discovered in Blackdam Court. Army bomb disposal experts dealt with the device by a controlled explosion.
There had been a lull in activity by dissident republicans in Northern Ireland but Chief Inspector Andy Freeburn said the attack confirmed the threat is still severe.
Mr Freeburn said: ‘He was very, very lucky. A small but very determined and capable group of people was involved in this, and we could have been dealing with a serious tragedy. There is no doubt his vigilance saved his life.
‘Many children aren’t back to school yet after the holidays and this could have been an absolutely horrendous start to the New Year.’
With many thanks to :
The faction, blamed in the past for leaving a string of pipe bombs outside the homes of Police Service of Northern Ireland officers, claimed responsibility for the foiled attack.
An Army source said: ‘We have very strict guidelines and protocols and give regular advice to personnel both serving in and visiting Northern Ireland to take personal security very seriously.’
He said the soldier would be ‘invited in for a conversation without coffee’ – meaning a severe dressing down from a senior officer.
Around 30 families had to be evacuated from their homes on the housing estate when the car bomb was discovered in Blackdam Court. Army bomb disposal experts dealt with the device by a controlled explosion.
There had been a lull in activity by dissident republicans in Northern Ireland but Chief Inspector Andy Freeburn said the attack confirmed the threat is still severe.
Mr Freeburn said: ‘He was very, very lucky. A small but very determined and capable group of people was involved in this, and we could have been dealing with a serious tragedy. There is no doubt his vigilance saved his life.
‘Many children aren’t back to school yet after the holidays and this could have been an absolutely horrendous start to the New Year.’
With many thanks to : By Ian Drury ( MAIL ONLINE )
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- Soldier finds bomb under his car seat on visit to see girlfriend in Belfast (dailymail.co.uk)
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