RUC free man held over Ballycastle bomb

The man questioned yesterday by the RUC about the huge car bomb loyalists abandoned in a packed seaside town in Northern Ireland…

The man questioned yesterday by the RUC about the huge car bomb loyalists abandoned in a packed seaside town in Northern Ireland has been released without charge .

The fully primed device was defused by army explosives experts in Ballycastle, Co Antrim, on Tuesday as over 100,000 people were attending the town's famous Auld Lammas Fair.

Two pipe bombs, left at a hotel and a pub in the town, were also defused yesterday.

The Red Hand Defenders, a cover name used in the past for Ulster Defence Association and Loyalist Volunteer Force attacks, claimed it had left the bomb.

But security sources believe members of the Ulster Volunteer Force were responsible.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter