A pipe bomb-type device which was found today outside a house in Ballincarry, Co Antrim, has now been taken away by police for forensic examination.
The object was found in front of the house on Brackenberg Avenue, around six miles from Larne, this morning.
A police spokesman said: "An attempt appears to have been made to ignite what was a viable device. This has to be condemned due to the surrounding built-up area and the fact that a mother and her children aged five and 12 were at home".
Police do not believe the incident was sectarian.