Boy injured in Belfast pipe bomb

A seven-year-old boy suffered cuts and bruising after a pipe bomb exploded outside his Belfast home, police said today.

A seven-year-old boy suffered cuts and bruising after a pipe bomb exploded outside his Belfast home, police said today.

The victim was taken to hospital and three other people in the house were unhurt following the incident shortly after 11pm last night.

There was extensive damage to the front of the building at Oakviel Gardens in Dunmurry.

The boy was in the living room at the time with his grandmother, who suffered shock. A window of a neighbouring house was slightly affected and a number of cars in the street were damaged.

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A man and a woman were sleeping upstairs at the time. The boy was treated in hospital for his injuries. Detectives said they were investigating a number of lines of enquiry but had ruled out sectarianism.

SDLP Lisburn Councillor Matthew McDermott said he was shocked. "This was a nasty and dangerous attack and I would urge anyone with any information on this attack to come forward to the PSNI," he said. "Those who make and use pipe bombs are dangerous and these types of attacks need to be stamped out."