PART of the nationalist Markets area of Belfast was sealed off early today after a suspected IRA car bomb was discovered by the RUC last night. It was later found to be an elaborate hoax, police said.
The incident began around 10 p.m. when residents of several streets were evacuated from their homes by the security forces.
The driver of a hijacked white Toyota car was being questioned about the incident early today.
The car was seized in the Ardoyne area shortly before 10 p.m. and the driver ordered to drive with what he was told was a bomb to the Markets area.
Army technical officers later found the device was a gas cylinder.
Earlier yesterday a high rise block of flats in the nationalist New Lodge area of north Belfast was evacuated for 10 hours while army bomb experts made safe a bomb containing 5lb of high explosive.
The bomb was found in a fourth floor flat in Alamein Flats at 7 a.m. yesterday. The device was similar to the IRA `coffee jar" bombs but contained many times more high explosive than previously known. The 5lb of plastic explosive would be sufficient to wreck a medium sized building.
The discovery follow a series of successful operations by the RUC in the North involving the interception of IRA weapons and the prevention of attacks.
There has been an increase in the amount of IRA activity with several attacks mounted against the security forces since the start of the year. Security sources here report that before Christmas the IRA leadership gave a direction for an increase in attacks.
Also last night the RUC charged a south Derry man with conspiracy to murder, possession of explosives with intent to endanger life and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
The charges arise from an incident in the nationalist town of Dungiven, Co Derry at the weekend when a number of men were arrested after an IRA improvised rocket and a rifle were found in an RUC search.
Three men have already appeared in court charged in relation to the Dungiven incident.