Ulster Unionist MLA Leslie Cree has expressed his contempt for those behind this afternoon’s incident in which a device exploded in a postal van inside Holywood’s Palace Barracks.
Mr Cree, who represents North Down, said:
“Once again a small gang with limited numbers has demonstrated its ability to cause disruption through a violent act.
“The people responsible have nothing to offer anyone in this society. They dare not face the electorate because they know they face humiliation and rejection. Instead of outlining a political programme they would rather plant a mortar device in a graveyard in Strabane, blow up a bin in Londonderry, and today the target is a Post Office van in Holywood.
“It is hardly a decisive blow which will deliver the united Ireland these people claim to want. The people of Northern Ireland have made great strides in recent years and they want to see a country where violence and the threat of violence, are left in the past for good.
“It is a sad fact that certain areas are still afflicted by fascist style criminal gangs who seek to rule by fear. The only way that local communities can free themselves from the malign influence of terror gangs is by assisting the Police with the information and evidence they require to put them behind bars where they belong.”