The Continuity IRA is believed to have been responsible for a mortar bomb attack on Grosvenor Road RUC station in west Belfast which led to the rerouting of the Belfast marathon yesterday.
Two mortars were fired at the base. One did not reach its target and exploded in Devenish Court off the Grosvenor Road, causing no damage or injuries. The other exploded in its tube. The area was sealed off as British army bomb experts moved in.
No group admitted responsibility but republican sources believed the CIRA was involved. It is understood it has recently recruited several disillusioned Provisional IRA members in west Belfast. Last week, a CIRA car bomb in Lisburn, Co Antrim, failed to explode.
Meanwhile, a security operation was last night continuing along the railway line between Dundalk and Newry following a small explosion at a section of the track near the Border at Red Bridge. Security forces were searching for a second device.
A caller using a recognised codeword told a Belfast newsroom that two bombs had been planted on the line. It is not known whether the attack was the work of the CIRA or dissident Provisional IRA members. The two groups are understood to co-operate closely at times. The Belfast-Dublin railway line is not expected to open until later today. Hundreds of passengers had to be bussed between Newry and Dundalk yesterday.
Back in Belfast, the 2,500 runners taking part in the 17th May Day marathon had been due to go down the Grosvenor Road but were rerouted up the Falls Road after the mortar attack in case there were other unexploded devices.
A Belfast marathon committee spokesman said runners had been determined not to let the incident spoil their day. The Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, said the refusal of the runners and organisers to allow the paramilitaries to ruin the event showed the "stamina and sheer guts" of the people of Northern Ireland.
The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, condemned the incident. "Clearly we have nothing that remotely approaches peace in Northern Ireland. Here we have people out for a day's fun and what is the answer of the terrorists? They do what they can to disrupt and destroy."
An SDLP councillor, Ms Margaret Walsh, said those behind the attack were "yesterday's men". "The organisers of our marathon have done the right thing by not letting it get in the way of what is a great fun day for our city."
The Ulster Unionist deputy lord mayor of Belfast, Mr Jim Rodgers, claimed the mortar attack was meant to disrupt the showpiece sporting event. "Obviously the main aim of those involved was to kill and injure members of the RUC and army, but this has also caused tremendous inconvenience to the marathon."
In Newry, Co Down, yesterday, a taxi was hijacked and its driver forced to park outside the town's RUC station. Three masked men, armed with a handgun, had placed a wheelie-bin in the car. British army bomb experts declared the device a hoax.