Four Security Alerts In Northern Ireland

Four security alerts in Northern Ireland have sparked evacuations and caused a major railway line to be closed.

An explosive device was thought to have gone off underneath a car in St James Street, west Belfast, on Wednesday night.

Roads nearby were closed off and homes evacuated as Army bomb experts examined an object found at the scene.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) later said on Twitter at about 2pm: "St James Rd in west Belfast has now reopened.

"Suspected pipe bomb believed to have exploded under car taken for forensic examination."

The car was badly damaged, but no one was injured.

Two other areas of the city - North Queen Street and Friendly Street - were also affected after suspicious objects were found on Thursday. Those two objects are thought to be linked to drugs.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said on Twitter that the device in Friendly Street was declared a "viable device".

The PSNI said that the device in North Queen Street was also found to be a "viable pipe bomb type device" when examined by bomb disposal officers.

Rail services between Belfast and Dublin were disrupted after another object was thought to have been left on the line in Lurgan, Co Armagh.

Translink tweeted that the line had been closed between Portadown and Belfast on Wednesday evening after the security alert.

The security alert was lifted at around 3pm on Thursday, but Translink warned of delays.

The PSNI said nothing suspicious was found.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams called on those behind the suspected car bomb to stop violence.

Speaking to Reuters, he said: "Clearly whoever is responsible should desist.

"If you want to keep the union or you want a united Ireland, there's now a peaceful and democratic way so these actions should stop."

The threat level for Northern Ireland-related terrorism is currently severe - meaning an attack is considered highly likely.

Andrew Parker, the head of MI5, said last month that dissident Republicans continued to pose a threat in Northern Ireland.