Incident on Bangor to Belfast road probably not result of paramilitary attack, says DUP MP

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Army bomb disposal experts are trying to work out if a car which burst into flames on a main road in Northern Ireland on Tuesday was due to an explosion or a malfunction in the vehicle.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has confirmed the female driver, who was not injured in the blaze, was not a serving police officer, contradicting earlier reports.



Shortly after the incident, which took place close to the main Bangor to Belfast road at about 8.30am, army technical officers arrived at the scene.

A PSNI spokesman said: “Police are working to establish the circumstances of how a car caught fire on the A2 between Belfast and Bangor this morning, Tuesday 6 March.



“The main A2 remains closed at this time while the investigation into the circumstances of the incident continue.”

The Democratic Unionist MP Ian Paisley, who earlier suggested the incident had been an attack by paramilitaries, later said he had been told the blast was caused by a malfunction in the car.

