Bomb 'attempt to break NI peace'

A dissident group is thought to behind the bomb attack

There has been widespread condemnation from Northern Ireland's political leaders of dissident republicans blamed for the bomb attack on BBC Television Centre.

Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble said they were attempting to "pull off a spectacular" ahead of the General Election to destabilise the peace process.

The Ulster Unionist leader said it also underlined the need for IRA to dispose of its weapons.

He said: "The reason why it may be trying to pull off a spectacular is because of the efforts the government is making to persuade the mainstream IRA to honour its obligations on decommissioning."

He added: "There is evidence of material and expertise which has leaked from the mainstream IRA to those who are engaged in these incidents which is why we continue to press for those dumps to be put out of use permanently and in a way that it could never be used again."

David Trimble: "Dissidents want to stop IRA arms move"

The attack demonstrated why the government must resist Sinn Fein demands for demilitarisation, hardline Ulster Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson said.

He said it highlighted the need for increased, rather than scaled-down security in the province to guard against paramilitary groups.

Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid said such attacks would not deter the government from pursuing its objective of taking the gun out of Irish politics.

He said the bombers were extremists who had shown contempt for human life.

Mallon: Violence has no place in democracy

Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon said there could be no justification for violence deployed for political ends.

The deputy leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party added: "Those who engage in futile attacks such as this are acting against the democratically expressed will of the people of Ireland, north and south, demonstrated clearly in the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement.

"They have no role to play in the creation of a future free from violence and the hatred of the past."

There was also criticism from a Sinn Fein member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Alex Maskey.

The Sinn Fein assembly member said: "I view this action last night as both wrong and irresponsible and indeed we have consistently called on this micro-group not only to stop their activities but indeed to disband."

But he added that the best way to combat dissident republicans was to show that the peace process could work.

Irish foreign minister Brain Cowen described it as a "mindless act".

MacKay: No arms have been handed in

A Downing Street spokesman said: "There are those outside the peace process who are set on trying to turn the clock back to the days before the Good Friday Agreement.

"We will not allow them to take our focus from working with all parties to move the process on."

Tory Northern Ireland spokesman Andrew MacKay said it showed there was a "terrific terrorist threat" both in Northern Ireland and in Britain.

"This attack illustrates how dangerous and wrong it would be to reduce the security presence in Northern Ireland," he said.