Police in Northern Ireland attacked with stones after call to suspicious object
5 April 2021, 22:02 | Updated: 5 April 2021, 23:01
Police in Northern Ireland have been attacked with stones after attending the scene where a suspicious object was discovered.
PSNI officers attended to protect a bomb disposal unit that was sent to the scene at Templemore Road in a predominantly nationalist part of Londonderry.
The incident was subsequently declared an "elaborate hoax" by police and a security alert was stood down shortly after 9pm.
A PSNI statement said: "Police and ATO (ammunition technical officer) examined a suspicious object, which was discovered in the area at around 4:20pm this afternoon, and have declared it an elaborate hoax."
Roads were closed and the public was asked to keep away after the alarm was raised on Easter Monday.
Pictures show a number of youths attacking a PSNI vehicle, hurling stones and pieces of wood.
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Video captured from the scene that was circulated on social media showed a number of youths being chased away by riot vehicles.
It follows several nights of unrest in loyalist areas in both Derry and Belfast.
However, the incident is not linked to the unrest in unionist communities seen in the past week.
A PSNI statement said: "Police are currently attending a report of a suspicious object located at the Templemore Road area of Derry/Londonderry this evening.
"A number of roads in the area have been closed and members of the public are asked to avoid the area whilst the object is examined."
