Controlled explosions carried out after pipe-bombs thrown at flats

British army bomb disposal experts carried out further controlled explosions yesterday afternoon when two pipe-bombs were thrown…

British army bomb disposal experts carried out further controlled explosions yesterday afternoon when two pipe-bombs were thrown at a block of flats in the nationalist Twinbrook estate, on the outskirts of west Belfast.

It is understood the devices hit a wall but failed to explode.

Another device was made safe on Saturday in the nationalist Short Strand area. The blast-bomb was located in Seaforde Street at 2 p.m. and made safe a short time later.

A local Sinn Fein councillor claimed the device was launched from the predominantly loyalist Newtownards Road during the night.

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The latest find comes in the wake of four attacks on Friday night and early Saturday morning at various locations in the North.

In Portadown, Ms Elizabeth O'Neill (59) was killed when a pipe-bomb was thrown through the window of her living room in the predominantly loyalist Corcrain estate at 1 a.m. on Saturday.

Ten minutes later, two sisters and a 10-month old baby escaped unharmed when a blast-bomb was thrown at their home a few streets away at Westland Drive in the Corcrain estate.

The device landed in the garden.

At Hilltown, Castlewellan, Co Down, a device exploded, shattering the living room window of a house, shortly before midnight on Friday. A man and several children sleeping inside escaped injury.

In east Belfast a pipe-bomb was thrown at a house in Clandeboye Gardens shortly before 1 a.m. on Saturday. It failed to explode and was later made safe by British army bomb disposal experts.