Pipe bomb in west Belfast

A pipe bomb which was found close to a school in west Belfast has been made safe by army bomb experts. St Teresa's Primary School was closed and a number of homes were evacuated after the device was found early on Tuesday morning. It was discovered on the Glen Road while emergency services dealt with a fire in the area. Ch Supt Mark Hamilton said the device had the capacity to "maim or kill". "At around 03:00 GMT police and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service attended a report of a fire at business premises at the Glen Road area," he said. "After re-examining the scene, police discovered a suspicious object in the area. "The device has been taken away for further examination but we can confirm that it was a viable pipe bomb which had the capacity to kill or maim."

Mr Hamilton said it was "particularly chilling" given the fact that a primary school was so close to the scene. "This is a residential area and we could have been looking at serious tragedy here," he said. "There is absolutely no doubt that this device was intended to murder and we would ask anyone with any information in relation to this incident to come forward and tell us what they know about this."

Police thanked local residents for their patience while the army dealt with the device.

They said they would make every effort to get residents back into their homes as soon as possible.

Part of the Glen Road closed due to the alert has now reopened.