Rail device was 50lb bomb

Train services were suspended during alert

Police have confirmed that a device found on a railway line on the outskirts of Belfast was a partially exploded bomb.

A security alert which lasted almost two days at Black's Road railway bridge in Dunmurry near Belfast ended on Monday night after the device was removed from the tracks.

It is understood the device was in a metal case and comprised approximately 50lb of explosives.

Train services between Belfast and Lisburn were suspended while the device was examined.

A nearby shopping centre was evacuated when the alarm was raised on Sunday morning.

The discovery followed a telephone warning from a caller who said that a device had been left on the railway line.

It prompted a security alert and police closed that part of the line from early morning.

As a result of the find, the Black's Road slip road on the M1 motorway was also closed.

In a separate incident, police cordoned off part of Newry in County Down following reports of a suspicious object in the town.

The alert at New Street began shortly after 1300 BST on Sunday while army bomb disposal experts dealt with the device.

It was later described as a "deliberate hoax."