04/03/2016 BBC Newsline


04/03/2016

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Good evening and welcome to BBC Newsline.

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A senior police officer has warned another dissident republican attack

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is highly likely following today's murder attempt on a prison officer.

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The 52-year-old, who works in Hydebank Wood, is understood

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to be in a stable condition in hospital after undergoing surgery.

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A bomb exploded under a van as he was driving it away

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from his home off the Woodstock road in east Belfast.

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The blast blew the front bumper of the van and damage the camp of the

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vehicle. The prison officer driving it suffered serious leg injuries. He

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was however able to get out and stagger away from the scene. I was

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asleep and I just heard the bang. That's all I heard. What does it

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make you think, having this happen? It frightened me. The explosion

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happened as the van was going over a speed bump, just before emerging

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onto the Woodstock road. Police are investigating whether that action

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may have dislodged or partially activated the device. The intention

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of this device was to kill. Someone prepared this device, someone

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transported it, and someone planted it. There are people watching these

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media broadcasts who have information that would help us catch

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those responsible. We need that information. We need that support.

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This appeal was repeated by the Justice Minister who went to the

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scene of the bombing first thing this morning. It would appear to be

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the hallmarks of what we associate with attacks from dissident

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republicans. Obviously, a lot of evidence is being gathered and we

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have a lot of work to do. What is crucial is ensuring anyone with any

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of a nation which will help the police, coming forward. I have asked

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for an updated threat assessment. We know the threat is currently rated

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at severe, that is the threat to my colleagues face on a daily basis so

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we will continue to work to keep ourselves and each other safe but it

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is important we go about our work and this will not deter us from

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continuing our job to keep people in northern Ireland safe. The army bomb

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disposal team has been carrying out a careful examination of the scene.

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If, as has been suggested, this device only partially exploded, it

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might be that important clues to the bombers will be able to be drawn

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from it. It is over three years ago that dissident republican shot dead

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prison officer David Black as he drove along the M1. Since then,

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prison officers association has been warning about threats to kill more

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officers. I can only assume the dissident republicans because we are

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aware threats exist against prison officers and the threat level is

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very high and I have no doubt of that. People were moved out of

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nearby homes during the follow-up security operation and several shops

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and businesses inside the cord and were also forced to close.

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This morning's attack on the prison officer has been condemned

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We do need to be vigilant and work with the police to make sure we are

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on alert to the possibility of these evil men, using tactics to thwart

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what we have been building in Northern Ireland, a peaceful

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positive future. There are some people that want to drag us back to

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the past and we need to work against them and bring them to justice. They

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can be at salute you no justification whatsoever for anybody

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going out with a gun or a bomb. Against the backdrop of the massive

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transformation taking place in our society over the last 30 years. If

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there are lessons to be learned, they will be. But I can assure all

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police and prison officers that huge efforts do go into insuring we keep

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them as safe as possible, but the reality is this threat is early for

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one which is why we will be vigilant now.

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Earlier on BBC Newsline our Home Affairs Correspondent Vincent

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Kearney outlined concerns by the police that dissident

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republicans plan attacks to coincide with the centenary later this month

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This is the kind of attack the police have been expecting and

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fearing for some time. They have been saying for some months that

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dissident republicans were likely to make some sort of effort to step up

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their activities to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising. At a

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press conference this morning, it was said the PSNI are well aware of

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this. It is the centenary of the Easter Rising. Many events planned

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across northern Ireland and the police hope to work with event

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organisers to make sure events pass off peacefully. It issued a stark

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warning about the intentions of dissident republican and the PSNI is

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deeply concerned about the threat level at this time. There are people

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within dissident republican groupings who want to mark the

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eastern 2016 100 anniversary in a sinister way. -- Easter. They want

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to kill police officers, prison officers and soldier. We think the

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threat is very high at the moment and we need community support. It is

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not inevitable that anybody needs to lose their life. This clearly

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demonstrates the police have credible intelligence and they

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believe dissident republicans will try to increase what they call their

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operational tempo to mark the Easter Rising centenary with a series of

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attacks, with targets being police and prison officers and soldiers.

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Several hundred people have attended an event this evening organised

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by politicians campaigning to leave the European Union.

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The Ukip leader Nigel Farage and Labour MP Kate Hoey were among

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a number of speakers at the Titanic Exhibition

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centre in Belfast. Claire Graham reports.

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They came in a hundreds to hear from some of the biggest out campaigners

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of the UK. There is no part of the UK that has talked more about

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sovereignty than Northern Ireland. Whether you believe Northern Ireland

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should stay part of the United Kingdom, if you are a nationalist

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and you believe in a united Ireland, both positions are concerned with

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sovereignty and I want to say to both communities, as members of the

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European Union, you cannot have any sovereignty. The sun, it was

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preaching to the converted but others wanted to hear the arguments.

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I have heard a lot about why we are staying -- we should stay in and now

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I want to hear why we should leave. I want to know what they offer. I am

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undecided on this issue but I am leaning towards staying in but I am

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open to all arguments. The DUP is recommending voters to leave the EU

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but said it is up to each individual to decide. As a public

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representative, I'm expressing my views and trying to encourage people

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because don't forget, this debate will be about the facts of the case.

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Is it good to stay in or better to get out? One of Labour's leading

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Eurosceptics also made their case clear. The EU has changed so much

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since 1975 and it is now for me, about whether we want to control our

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own country. Campaigning and discussions will continue over the

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coming months. In around 16 weeks, we will have an answer to the

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question, to stay or to go. Rugby and Ulster had a 32-0

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Pro-12 victory over Zebre Two those were from Man

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of the Match Nick Williams with Peter Browne and Paul Marshall

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also touching down to secure Paddy Jackson, who earlier kicked

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two penalties, converted three Football and Derry City

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were in action tonight in their first League game

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of the season, they went down to north-west rivals Finn Harps

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by two goals to one. Now with the weekend weather

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forecast here's Cecilia Daly. It is a cold old night out there,

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really nasty winds blowing. It will stay cold this weekend

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but there will be lots of dry weather, so hopefully

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if you wrap up warm, you will be able to

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get out and enjoy it. Quite bright at times as well

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and that bitter wind will gradually The breeze is coming from the north,

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there will be a few One or two could be a bit wintry

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over the high ground and by the end of the night, lots of places will be

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dry and quite clear. Temperatures in sheltered spots

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close to freezing so one or two icy Lots of cold, bright but dry weather

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to come on Saturday. A few early warning showers,

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still quite a nasty, nagging wind, especially up

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towards the north coast. There will be some snow showers

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pushing across parts of Scotland, and northern England.

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Icy conditions here. Some ice briefly possible over

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south-east England as an area Otherwise, lots of dry weather

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outside the showers but a really bitter wind blowing from the north

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so up along the north coast, it will be particularly cold

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at times but there will be lots of sunshine around,

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lots of dry weather, As the wind eases, it will lead

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to a sharp frost on Saturday night Mostly fine on Sunday,

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clouding over late in the day. Some wintry showers in the west

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but many places will get away with a dry day and the wind will be

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a lot lighter. It looks like we will see a little

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bit of rain and sleet, maybe hill snow through Sunday

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night and into Monday, Quite cold initially next

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week but getting milder as the week goes on.

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Have a great weekend. Our next BBC Newsline is at 6.25am

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during Breakfast here on BBC One.

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