School bombs sickening low for loyalists, say police

LOYALIST terrorists who planted pipe bombs at two Catholic schools in Northern Ireland have plunged to a sickening new low, police said yesterday.

With a death threat issued against a priest and worshippers at a cemetery abused by hundreds of protesters near Belfast, the paramilitaries stepped up the intimidation by leaving devices at schools in Co Derry.

One of the bombs was found in the grounds of St Mary's High in Limavady by a caretaker just before staff and pupils arrived.

The second device was discovered 10 miles away at St Patrick's College, Dungiven, where students were kept away during the security alert.

As army explosives experts confirmed the devices were live, police accused loyalists of carrying out the attacks. Chief Inspector Bob Morrissey said: "This is absolutely disgusting to say the least. Targeting children trying to get an education is a real low it has to stop now."

Celine McKenna, principal at St Mary's, was horrified that 900 pupils at her school had been targeted.

"I shudder to think what would have happened if a child had arrived early and attempted to lift that," she said.

"Schools are meant to be an oasis of peace and calm, but this was meant to injure and intimidate."

Nearly 400 pupils were sent home from St Patrick's when another pipe bomb was found at the school.

Principal Anne Scott was equally distraught by the attempted bombing.

"It is just dreadful. We can't even send our children out to school without being in danger," she said.

The attacks came as Protestant clergymen in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, hit out at the death threat from loyalists against a parish priest.

Father Dan Whyte was warned to step up his personal security after police received anonymous intelligence his life was in danger. The priest was also faced by 200 loyalist protesters who hurled abuse and blew horns as he conducted a prayer service at a graveyard yesterday. Chief constable Hugh Orde said: "This is mindless blatant sectarianism."