Family escape Antrim bomb attack
A family escaped injury when a bomb exploded outside their home in Northern Ireland early today.
The device shattered glass in the house at Knockeen Crescent in Ballymena, Co Antrim, after being left at the front door, police said.
A couple and their three children were inside when the explosion happened just before 4am. But detectives who urged any witnesses to come forward said all five were unhurt.
Hours earlier, shots were fired through the living room window of a house in Randalstown, just outside Ballymena.
A man inside was not injured in the attack, police said.
Meanwhile, a woman and a son in his 20s had to be rescued when their home was set alight by arsonists in Co Antrim.
Police believe a front window in the property at Laurel Park in Ahoghill was broken and a flammable liquid ignited.
Fire damage was caused to the hall and stairs, while smoke billowed through the rest of the house some time after 1am.
The occupants were forced to climb out on to a porch roof where they were rescued by a neighbour.
