Police in Northern Ireland recovered four suspected pipe bombs Tuesrday from inside a cemetery in the northern city of Londonderry following a public safety operation.
The operation at Creggan City Cemetery was launched after the first of the suspected pipe bombs was discovered earlier in the day, with three more found following subsequent searches on the cemetery grounds, the police said in a statement.
“These devices have been made safe and taken away for further forensic examination,” the statement added.
The discovery came as police take extensive security measures ahead of a visit by US President Joe Biden, who was scheduled to arrive in Belfast yesterday evening. He was expected to first meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after his arrival. Today, the U.S. president will speak at the new Belfast campus of the University of Ulster.
His visit to the city will mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday peace agreement, which brought an end to decades of violent conflict in Northern Ireland, where thousands of people were killed.
Prior to his departure, he said his priority was to “keep the peace” in Northern Ireland.
Biden’s trip comes two weeks after MI5 said the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland had increased to “severe” due to a rise in activity by dissident republicans. An attack is judged “highly likely” when the threat level is “severe.”
“In recent months, we have seen an increase in levels of activity relating to Northern Ireland Related Terrorism, which has targeted police officers serving their communities and also put at risk the lives of children and other members of the public,” Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said.
A New Year’s message from the New Irish Republican Army (IRA) dissident group caused concern as it pledged to “use all means at its disposal” to end British rule in Ireland.
“As we enter 2023, Ireland remains under occupation and our national sovereignty is denied by a foreign government,” said the Jan. 2 message from the New IRA, a splinter group formed after the disarmament of the IRA.