UVF suspected in Coveney bomb threat

Screengrab taken from video issued by the Hume Foundation of Irish Foreign Affairs Minister, Simon Coveney, being ushered from the room due to a security alert whilst he was speaking at a peacebuilding event organised by the John and Pat Hume Foundation at The Houben Centre, Belfast. Issue date: Friday March 25, 2022.

The UVF is suspected to be behind a serious security alert during which Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney was whisked to safety amid fears a bomb was planted in a nearby van.

Police in Northern Ireland said loyalist paramilitaries hijacked a van and forced the driver to park close to the centre where Mr Coveney was speaking at a peace and reconciliation event in north Belfast.

Mr Coveney was dramatically ushered off-stage during a speech organised by the Pat and John Hume Foundation, held at the Houben Centre on Crumlin Road.

A van driver had earlier been ordered by two gunmen to park close to the venue. After leaving the stage, Mr Coveney was swiftly driven away from the scene in his Government vehicle.

The device was last night declared a hoax but PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan condemned what occurred as “disgraceful”.

“At this early stage of the investigation, our assessment is that these crimes were carried out by loyalist paramilitary groups,” he said. “We’re keeping an open mind but one of the primary lines of investigation is the UVF.”

Mr McEwan detailed how the van was hijacked and the driver ordered to a nearby location. The driver was then instructed to go to Holy Cross Chapel, near the Houben Centre.

“Some time between 9am and 10am, a van was hijacked in Sydney Street West off the Shankill Road, Belfast,” he said.

“The van driver was threatened by two gunmen and forced to drive his white Vauxhall van a short distance to another street and a device was then placed in the van.

“The victim was then forced to drive the van to Holy Cross Chapel.

Following two controlled explosions, police forensics officers examine a hi-jacked van that was left outside a community hall where Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney was taking part in a speaking engagement. Photo: Alan Lewis - PhotopressBelfast.co.uk

Just think about this, the victim believed at this point he was driving a van containing a live bomb and that his family were being threatened.

“The local community were also impacted. Over 25 homes were evacuated, local schools were affected and vulnerable residents in a local nursing home had to be moved to another part of their home.

"Most shamefully, a funeral taking place in the chapel was also disrupted, causing further grief to that family.

"This evening, upon further examination, the device has been declared a hoax. It was clearly designed to cause maximum disruption to the local community."

Asked whether Mr Coveney had been the target of the incident, Mr McEwan said he would not speculate on motivation at a very early stage of the investigation.

The driver of the van was later treated in hospital and Fr Aidan O’Kane, manager of the Houben Centre, said: “I spoke to the poor man whose van was hijacked … He’s traumatised. It’s just unreal.”

A spokesperson for Mr Coveney declined to say if there would be an immediate review of security operations for all ministers travelling to the North.

“Ministers’ security is a matter for the gardaí and both the gardaí and PSNI officers today acted very quickly,” the spokesperson said.

“Simon is extremely concerned about the van driver and the ordeal he went through.

“Our team are fine and now more than ever we believe in the work of the John and Pat Hume Foundation.”

It is understood Mr Coveney returned home to Cork last night.

The hijackers are reported to have placed a device in the vehicle and forced the driver to take it to the venue in the grounds of Holy Cross Chapel. A major security alert ensued with roads in a wide area around the scene closed off. Photo: Alan Lewis - PhotopressBelfast.co.uk

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said Garda authorities keep security measures “under constant and active review”, adding: “The minister for justice condemns in the strongest possible terms the perpetrators of these actions today.”

The incident happened just days after the level of terrorism threat from dissident republicans in Northern Ireland was lowered from severe to substantial for the first time in 12 years.

Condemnation of the incident was widespread, including from Britain’s Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis, who said: “Today’s incident at the Houben Centre in North Belfast is a reminder that there is a small minority willing to use violence to advance their goals. These actions are reprehensible.”

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson also condemned the actions of those responsible, saying most people “want to get on with their lives and have no truck with those who cling to violence”.

Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill added: “Those determined to cause instability and disruption will not succeed. Those of us committed to peace will not be deterred.”

Church of Ireland Archbishop the Rev John McDowell called the incident shameful.

“There is no place for violence or the threat of violence in our society,” he said.

Mr Coveney had been speaking about the importance of reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

He told the event: “The patient work of reconciliation and deepening of relationships does need to continue on our own island.”