Northern Ireland's Protestant and Catholic leaders united in condemnation Monday against the latest attack by IRA dissidents, a bomb that exploded outside the British spy headquarters near Belfast. The overnight blast which caused no serious injuries and little damage to nearby homes appeared timed to overshadow Monday's long-awaited transfer of law-and-order powers from Britain to local hands.
Police said three gunmen in a Catholic part of north Belfast held a taxi driver's family hostage, loaded a bomb into the cabbie's car, and ordered him to drive it to Palace Barracks in the Belfast suburb of Holywood. Palace Barracks is the Northern Ireland base of operations for the British domestic spy agency MI5.
Police said the driver delivered the bomb as instructed fearing that the gunmen would harm his family if he refused but shouted ``It's a bomb!' to Palace Barracks security guards after he parked outside the base's perimeter fence about midnight. Police said the bomb detonated at 12:24 am (2324 GMT Sunday) but caused no serious injuries in part because officers had already evacuated dozens of local residents to a community hall.