FAMILIES WERE forced to evacuate their homes when two bombs were found in the Pinebank area of Craigavon, County Armagh over the weekend.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed that they had been made aware of two suspicious objects which were discovered in the area on Sunday, 10 May, and an examination found them both to be viable devices.
Traffic in the area was diverted, and residents were evacuated for a number of hours during the security alert but have now returned to their homes after the devices were successfully removed.
The devices will now undergo further examination.
Speaking on the incident yesterday, Inspector Adam Ruston said:
"We're grateful to local people for their patience today. Families had to leave their homes, having their afternoon disrupted, while we worked to make the area safe."
"Most importantly, it's fortunate that no-one was physically injured," Inspector Ruston continued. "The consequences of this could have been devastating."
Chief Constable Simon Byrne issued a short statement on Twitter where he condemned the actions of those who created the devices, particularly in a time where evacuating families from their homes causes further risk due to Covid-19.
I strongly condemn the reckless actions of those who placed 2 viable devices designed to cause serious harm & risk in Craigavon this afternoon, they have no support from the community. At this time of crisis families had to be evacuated from their homes causing further disruption https://t.co/8vP6jKje6R
— Simon Byrne (@ChiefConPSNI) May 10, 2020
"I strongly condemn the reckless actions of those who places 2 viable devises designed to cause serious harm & risk in Craigavon this afternoon," he said.
"They have no support from the community.
"At this time of crisis families had to be evacuated from their homes causing further disruption."
Investigations are ongoing, and so far there have been no reports of arrests in connection with the incident.
See More: Bomb Scare, County Armagh, Craigavon, Northern Ireland, PSNI
