October 18, 2002 Pipe Bomb Attacks Continue In East Belfast
Two devices were thrown on Monday night.

A number of people have escaped injury in pipe bomb attacks on houses in east Belfast. Two devices were thrown into the nationalist Bryson Court area of the Short Strand on Monday night.

It was the third time since July that one of the homes had been targeted.

Martina McGuigan and her family have lived in the house for 10 years, but said she had now had enough. "They have actually got me to move now, I'm not staying here anymore," she said.

"I'll not get the kids back in. The kids had to go to family last night. Hopefully the Housing Executive will get me somewhere else."

The police said the pipe bombs had been taken away for forensic examination.

Sinn Fein councillor Joe O'Donnell said the attacks sent out a clear picture of how the community was "slowly being destroyed, day by day, week by week, month by month".

He added: "I think that is the aim of the people behind this. But what I would say today is: 'They are not going to be successful'."

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said that continuing loyalist violence was being ignored.

"If I lived in the Short Strand (area of Belfast) and saw the bomb attack even last night or over the weekend, I would think there was something wrong, that there was a whole focus on the IRA and no attention being paid to or tolerance of unionist paramilitary actions."