Two police officers escape injury after pipe bombs land within metres of them during emergency callout in north Belfast

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

Pipe bombs thrown by dissident republicans landed within metres of two police officers, a Police Service of Northern Ireland commander has revealed.

Detailing his officers' narrow escape in the bomb blasts in the early hours of Tuesday, the PSNI's chief inspector, Andy Freeburn, described the attack in north Belfast as "a blatant attempt to murder".

The two officers were ambushed in the loyalist Ballysillan area after responding to a bogus 999 call at around 2am.

"We are just shocked at how narrowly tragedy was averted," Freeburn said, adding that the two "improvised grenades" missed the officers by a matter of metres as they crouched on the ground.

The Democratic Unionist MP for North Belfast, Nigel Dodds, said the incident had "all the hallmarks of a dissident republican attack".

"There can be no doubt that those who planned and carried out this attack intended to cause serious injury or death to police officers," he said. "It is a huge relief that no injuries were caused but this will have been a deeply shocking experience for them.

"This is a grim reminder of the threat of terrorist attack that the PSNI have to operate under as they respond to emergency calls and protect the community."

The SDLP, Sinn Féin, Ulster Unionist party and Alliance party also condemned those behind the bomb attack.

Although the PSNI won't publicly state who was responsible for the bombing, suspicion will fall on Óglaigh na hÉireann (ONH), one of two main anti-ceasefire republican terror groups operating in the greater Belfast area. ONH's targets over the last two years have included MI5's regional headquarters in Holywood on the eastern outskirts of Belfast, a number of army bases, the home of a high court judge and several police patrols.