Pipe bomb 'pushed through letterbox' of Belfast home with mother and children inside

A pipe bomb exploded after being put through the letterbox of a Belfast home while a mother and her children were inside, police have said.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) said the device "exploded fully" at the home in the Stanhope Street area around 3am on Friday.

Other residents in the area were evacuated, and the family were left "very shaken by their ordeal", Detective Sergeant Stevenson Stevenson said.

The family "escaped injury", DS Stevenson added.

"We received a report that a pipe bomb had been pushed through a letter box at the home in the Stanhope Street area at around 3am," DS Stevenson said.

"It exploded fully, causing damage to the door and throughout the hallway.

"A number of residents had to be evacuated from their homes for a time this morning, while Ammunition Technical Officers examined the remnants of the device."

He added: "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."

The street was cordoned off on Friday morning, but PSNI said residents they could return to their homes in the early afternoon.

Members of the public, including motorists, had been urged to to avoid the area of north Belfast.

There was a heavy police presence at the scene, and the home was cordoned off by police tape.

Sinn Fein councillor JJ Magee condemned the pipe bomb attack

"This is as a reckless and dangerous act that has left the local community in shock," he said.

"This attack must be unequivocally condemned, and those responsible must stop immediately."

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He added: "Thankfully, no one has been injured".

PSNI has urged anyone who witnessed "noticed suspicious behaviour in the area" to come forward.

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