POLITICIANS have united in condemnation of Friday's bomb attack on a prison guard.
Secretary of State Theresa Villiers described the murder bid as vicious and appalling.
"Like all his colleagues in the prison service, this officer serves the whole of the community, in stark contrast to the people who carried out this appalling and violent crime."
First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness described it as "despicable and shocking" attack.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with this senior prison officer and his family as he is treated for his injuries in hospital," the ministers said in a joint statement.
"We join all right-thinking people in condemning these cowardly actions."
The Republic's Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan expressed his concerns at the "callous and cowardly incident".
"Not only was it targeted on an individual public servant, it represented a futile attack on the entire community which is determined to achieve a peaceful and reconciled society in Northern Ireland," he said.
Justice Minister David Ford said the people who planted the bomb had shown no regard for life.
"Those involved in carrying out this misguided attack and those who planned it should see the futility of their actions," he said.
"They go against the democratic principles that the vast majority of people in this society support."
Meanwhile, Prison Service director general Sue McAllister said her thoughts were with the victim and his family, adding that his colleagues would not be deterred.
"This was a despicable act and an attack on us all," she said.
"This officer serves the entire community and whoever was behind this has nothing to offer anyone in Northern Ireland.
"Today we stand side by side together, united as a service. We will continue to do our jobs, and to serve the whole of Northern Ireland."
The Prison Officers' Association branded the attack "cowardly and disgraceful".
The scene of the blast borders south and east Belfast.
Among those at the police cordon from early in the morning were DUP assembly members Emma Pengelly, whose constituency office is nearby, and East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson.
Ms Pengelly said: "We are trying to build a peaceful Northern Ireland. This is not the type of thing that we want to see here".
Sinn Féin assembly member Gerry Kelly has said there can be no place in society for such attacks.
"Those behind attacks like this represent no one and have nothing to offer the community," he said.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood described the perpetrators as thugs and criminals.
"These people claim to be in conflict with the British government, the British Army or the PSNI but they are not," he said.
"Their fight is with the people of Ireland who have overcome the bombs and bullets of violent thugs in the past and are resolved never to allow it to happen again."
East Belfast Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle also expressed his outrage at the "sickening echo of the past".
"The people responsible offer nothing except death, injury and disruption," he said.
Church leaders have also spoken of their horror and revulsion.
Presbyterian Moderator Dr Ian McNie said: "This attack is a throwback to a past that should never be repeated, as violence, then as now, has no place in our society."
President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, Reverend Brian Anderson said the action was a stark reminder that the men of violence were still active.
"Knowing that in reality such people do not give any heed to the condemnation of their actions, I would nevertheless utterly condemn this savage action and offer my sympathy to the prison officer, his family and all his colleagues," he said.
Rev Harold Miller, Bishop of Down and Dromore, said it was a "deplorable" act and wished the victim well.
