Marathon re-routed over bomb

2005-05-02 22:31

Belfast - A bomb was found on Monday along the route of the Belfast City Marathon after a first group of runners had already passed by it, forcing a change in the course as army experts defused the device, the police service of Northern Ireland said.

Acting on a tip-off made by an anonymous caller to a reporter, police found a "very sophisticated and lethal ... pipe bomb device" midway along the course, near the largely Protestant Belfast suburb of Newtownabbey.

The first 20 runners had already passed the point when police sealed it off and re-routed the run, a spokesperson said.

The attempt was attributed to the dissident IRA, a breakaway Republican group opposed to the peace process.

"This reckless act could have led to serious injury or worse" for the participants, said deputy police chief Duncan McCausland.

Police said the man who phoned in the call also made personal threats against the Northern Ireland police chief, Hugh Orde, who had started running the marathon but was forced to drop out due to an injury.

The race, in its 24th year, is a highlight of the long May Day weekend in Belfast and this year attracted about 13 000 local and international runners.

- AFP