Residents evacuated after north Belfast security alert

The object that was left on the window sill of a house, was later declared an "elaborate hoax."

.
Author: James GouldPublished 20th Jul 2023

Residents in north Belfast were evacuated from their homes on Wednesday after a security alert.

It happened in the Glencairn Street area.

Officers attended the scene at 11:30pm after a report a suspicious object had been left on the window sill of a house.

Police say Ammunition Technical Officers (ATO) were called to examine the object which was later declared an elaborate hoax.

All roads were re-opened and residents allowed back to their homes at around 4am on Thursday.

The object was taken from the scene and will be forensically examined.

Inspector David McBride said: “We would like to thank all those affected by this incident for their patience and understanding as our officers worked to ensure their safety. This was a totally irresponsible act which brought widespread disruption to the area. An investigation into the incident is underway and I would appeal to anyone with any information which could assist with our investigation to contact officers at Tennent Street, on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 2066 19/07/23. A report can also be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/."