Irish Examiner view: A throwback to Belfast's bad old days

Security incident involving hijacked van raises fears of a return to paramilitary activity by some loyalist factions

UVF mural in East Belfast in 2005. Picture: Paul Faith/PA.

Mere days after Britain’s MI5 lowered the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland from severe to substantial after 12 years on high alert, we were yesterday reminded that would-be terrorists continue to pose a significant threat.

A van, hijacked at gunpoint and carrying a suspect device, originated in the Shankhill Road area of the city before it was driven to the Houben Centre where Mr Coveney was addressing a meeting of the Pat and John Hume Foundation. Mr Hume, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, died in 2020 and Mrs Hume died in autumn of last year.