Irish foreign minister evacuated from Belfast event due to security threat

LONDON

The Irish foreign minister was evacuated from an event in Belfast, Northern Ireland after a security alarm on Friday.


Simon Coveney was taken off the stage while he was delivering a speech, as a “suspected device” was discovered in the car park of the venue.


According to local reports, a van was hijacked in the morning in the Shankill area and the suspected device was put in the back as the driver was ordered to drive to the Houban Centre in Crumlin Road, where Coveney was attending the event organized by the John and Pat Hume Foundation.


“There is a security alert and the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) are currently assessing the situation. Everyone has had to evacuate the centre,” Tim Attwood, secretary of the Hume Foundation, was quoted by Irish Times as having said.


“Saddened and frustrated that someone has been attacked and victimised in this way and my thoughts are with him and his family,” Coveney said on Twitter.


The Irish Foreign Ministry said: “The Minister and team are safe, have been taken to a secure location and the PSNI are in control of the situation.”


In a statement, the local police force, the PSNI said: “Police are currently in attendance of a security alert at the Crumlin Road area of north Belfast.


“Motorists are advised to avoid the area and seek alternative main routes for their journey. There are no further details at this stage.”