An “explosive device” was thrown at the west Belfast home of former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams on Friday night. The home of Bobby Storey, the party’s former Northern Ireland chairman, was also targeted.
No one was harmed, but a vehicle in Adams’ driveway received significant damage from one of the devices, The Sun reports.
Adams tweeted: "All well here. No one hurt. Thanks 4 all the texts and phone calls.
"Thanks 2 all the great neighbours, the Neighbourhood Watch and Sinn Féin reps who were here very quickly."
All well here. No one hurt. Thanks 4 all the texts & phone calls. Thanks 2 all the great neighbours, the Neighbourhood Watch & Sinn Féin reps who were here very quickly.
— Gerry Adams (@GerryAdamsSF) July 14, 2018
Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly called the attacks “reprehensible and cowardly attacks.”
“I would appeal for calm. These attacks are the desperate acts of increasingly desperate and irrelevant groups,” he said in a statement.
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“These were reprehensible and cowardly attacks on the family homes of Gerry Adams and Bobby Storey. Grandchildren were in the driveway of Adams’ home minutes before the attack.”
The Friday night bomb attacks in Belfast follow six nights of violence in Derry. On Thursday, two explosive devices and more than 70 petrol bombs were hurled at police officers. Six people were arrested on Thursday evening, the BBC reports.
Gerry Adams speaking about attack on his home https://t.co/vCztu9ONKw
— Gerry Adams (@GerryAdamsSF) July 14, 2018
Northern Ireland’s chief of police George Hamilton condemned the violence on Thursday night, saying: “This was the sixth consecutive night of reckless violence, violence that I am confident is being orchestrated by dissident republicans, with the New IRA being the primary grouping responsible.”
There is no indication yet of who carried out the Belfast attacks on Friday night or if there is a link to the Derry attacks.
"These latest attacks on the homes of Gerry Adams and Bobby Storey are a deliberate and calculated attempt to cause fear and raise tensions within our community. They must be condemned without equivocation by us all." pic.twitter.com/EYCoRLufeJ
— Naomi Long MLA (@naomi_long) July 14, 2018
Following the attacks on Friday, Alliance party leader Naomi Long said such violence “must be condemned without equivocation.”
“This week we have seen those who remain wedded to violence bring chaos and fear on to our streets, in scenes which we had all hoped we would never witness again,” she said, according to The Guardian.
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“These latest attacks on the homes of Gerry Adams and Bobby Storey are a deliberate and calculated attempt to cause fear and raise tensions in our community.
“We have all worked too hard and come too far to see the peace we have enjoyed put at risk by those who offer nothing to this society but destruction.”
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