A mother and her four children escaped injury after a pipe bomb was pushed through their letterbox and exploded in north Belfast in the early hours of this morning. The device, which police said “exploded fully,” caused damage to the door and hallway of the home in the Stanhope Street area.
Nicola Nugent, 37, told Belfast Live she was woken by the blast just after 3am. Her children, including a 19-month-old, were inside the house at the time. She described the incident as “shocking” and said she believed it may have been a case of mistaken identity.
Family shaken but uninjured
Ms Nugent said she initially thought the explosion might have been related to a radiator. She FaceTimed her brother in Australia, who suggested it could be a pipe bomb after seeing two screws and a metal bar. She then rang the police.
“I don’t know why anyone would do this to me, all I do is go to work and go home, I rarely even go on nights out,” she said. The blast damaged the hall floor and left holes in the roof, and the family will not be able to return home for several days.
Police investigation and community response
Police evacuated a number of residents while ammunition technical officers examined the remnants of the device. All cordons have now been lifted and residents have returned to their homes.
In a statement, a PSNI spokesperson said: “Our community has rightly condemned this shocking incident. A mother and her children were inside the house at the time of the attack and we are thankful that they escaped injury, though they are obviously very shaken by their ordeal.”
Alliance Party MLA Nuala McAllister called it a “shocking and senseless attack” and encouraged anyone with information to contact police or report anonymously via Crimestoppers. Police have asked anyone with CCTV, dashcam, or other footage to call 101, quoting reference 141 16/10/26.
