SEVERAL people were "very lucky" to escape uninjured after a pipe bomb exploded outside their house in south Belfast, police have said.
The bomb exploded at the front of a house on Kinnegar Road in Finaghy at around 12.10am yesterday.
The front door was badly damaged in the attack.
A man dressed in black is thought to have planted the bomb. He is thought to have left the street along Benmore Drive towards Mount Aboo Park.
A police spokesman said: "The occupants of property were very lucky to escape injury".
It was not clear last night if the device was made from explosives or a high-powered firework.
Police are still investigating a motive for the attack.
Sinn Féin councillor Geraldine McAteer said the attack was "sheer wanton lunacy".
"To leave an explosive device at someone’s door in the middle of the night just shows that the perpetrators did not care if they might kill or injure the occupants or passers-by," she said.
She said the bomb had put people in the area at risk.
"I am very relieved that no-one was hurt," she said.
SDLP councillor Donal Lyons said he was appalled that anyone would leave an explosive device outside someone's home.
"This is a quiet residential street and the damage and anxiety it has caused is significant," he said.
He added: "I'd ask anybody who saw anything on Friday morning or knows anything about this attack to come forward to police as soon as possible and assist them with their investigation".
