Pipe bomb attack on prison officer's home
A prison officer and his family narrowly escaped injury in a bomb attack on their home in Northern Ireland today.
The man, his wife and two daughters were asleep in the house in Princess Gardens in Holywood, Co Down when two pipe bombs were thrown at it shortly before 3am.
The devices exploded, causing damage to the front of the house, but none of the occupants were injured.
The prison officer, who did not wish to be named, branded the attackers the “scum of the earth”.
“I do my job and if they don’t like it, that’s tough, but you don’t involve families, You do not bring families into it,” he said.
“The scum of the earth did this, they do things like this behind your back, they do it in the dark of night, crawl out from under a rock and do it.”
A police spokesman said two men were spotted driving away from the scene of the attack in a black car, believed to be a Vauxhall Astra.
The remains of the two pipe bombs were taken away for forensic examination, he added.
Meanwhile, two petrol bombs were later thrown at houses in Antrim.
Smoke and scorch damage were caused to two homes in Dromain Drive in the Stiles Estate in the attack, which took place shortly before 4.30am.
Police have appealed for anyone with information about either attack to contact them.
