Man held over MI5 base bomb freed

The bomb was placed in a taxi which was hijacked in north Belfast

A man arrested by police investigating the Real IRA bomb attack on Palace Barracks in Holywood earlier this month has been released without charge.

The bomb exploded outside the Army base which houses MI5's Northern Ireland headquarters.

The 29-year-old was arrested in north Belfast on Tuesday morning.

He was the second man to have been held in connection with the bombing and was questioned at Antrim police station.

The car bomb went off at about 0020 BST on Monday 12 April as the area surrounding the barracks was being cleared.

It happened minutes after policing and justice powers were devolved back to Northern Ireland from Westminster.

An elderly man who was walking near the barracks at the time of the bomb was treated for minor injuries.

The bomb was placed in a taxi, which had been hijacked in the Ligoniel area of north Belfast, about seven miles from Holywood, at about 2150 BST.

The driver was held hostage by three men for about two hours before being told to drive his taxi to the barracks.

A 30-year-old was arrested in the Ardoyne area of Belfast on Saturday but later released without charge.