Nationalists express concern over pipe bomb factory

Nationalist MLAs for North Belfast welcomed the find but expressed concern that an booby-trap device intended to be used on a car was among the items discovered.

SDLP Assemblyman Alban Maginness, whose constituency office was targeted by pipe bombers last month, congratulated the RUC on their success ‘‘in locating these very deadly instruments of war’’.

He went on: ‘‘I am very disturbed to hear that booby traps for placing underneath cars were also found.

‘‘If they had been used, they would, of course, have extended this campaign in a very, very significant way.

‘‘Those who had this factory showed a complete disregard for the people living in Mount Vernon, and in Ross House in particular, because if there had been some accident and this had gone up, then the block would have been very seriously damaged and the people in it could well have been killed or injured.’’

Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly said that with ‘‘almost daily’’ pipe bomb attacks in north Belfast and other areas, the authorities should admit the UDA ceasefire was over.

Mr Kelly also rounded on Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble for focusing on IRA decommissioning while loyalists continued to attack Catholic families.

‘‘We have David Trimble talking about increasing sanctions against Sinn Fein and talking about IRA arms and being quite mute about the fact that all of these attacks are coming from loyalism,’’ he said.

‘‘He is continually going on about sanctions on a political party which has upheld all its applications instead of dealing with the fact of the matter that over the last number of months Catholics are under attack and we are in a pogrom situation.’’