Pipe Bomb Explosion at Belfast House Forces Evacuations on Stanhope Street

Police in Northern Ireland sealed off part of north Belfast early on Friday, October 16, after an explosion at a house in the Stanhope Street area. Officers moved a number of residents out of their homes while the security alert ran, and police asked the public and motorists to stay away from the area.

Sky News and The Irish Sun reported the blast as a pipe bomb attack on a property. The Police Service of Northern Ireland, known as the PSNI, has not named a device in its public statement. The force said its officers were at the scene of a security alert in the Stanhope Street area following an explosion at a house in the early hours of Friday.

Cordons and evacuations

Cordons went up around the scene while officers worked. A number of local residents were being evacuated from the area, the PSNI said, and the force told members of the public, including motorists, to avoid the area while the operation continued. Police said a further update would follow in due course.

The Irish Sun reported that it was understood no one had been injured in the blast. Sinn Fein councillor JJ Magee, who represents the area, also said no one had been injured, Sky News reported.

Local reaction

Magee condemned the attack and called it a reckless and dangerous act that had left the local community in shock. He said those responsible had to stop, and he said emergency services would carry out an operation in the street while the alert continued. He also urged anyone with information about the attack to bring it forward to the PSNI, and he said he would keep supporting local residents through the incident.

Residents faced a morning out of their homes with no early word on when the cordons would lift. Police gave no time for the alert to end in the statements reported on Friday morning.

What is not known yet

Police have not said who carried out the attack, and no group has been named in the reports published on Friday morning. The PSNI statement did not give a motive, did not describe damage to the house in detail, and did not announce any arrests. Officers said the investigation was under way at the scene.

The facts confirmed so far are narrow. A house in the Stanhope Street area was hit by an explosion in the early hours of October 16. Police responded with a security alert, cordons and evacuations. Two news outlets reported the device as a pipe bomb. A local councillor said no one was hurt. Everything beyond that waits on the next police update.