Full Breakdown
Pipe Bomb Attack Targets Mother of Four in North Belfast
By Drooid · · How we work
The Attack on Stanhope Street
In the early hours of Friday, a pipe bomb was forced through the letterbox of a family home on Stanhope Street in the Carrick Hill area of north Belfast. The device detonated at roughly 03:00 BST, triggering the fire alarm, blackening the front door, floor and ceiling, and filling the hallway with smoke. Nicola Nugent, a 40-year-old single mother, was awakened by the explosion while her four children—aged 19 months, 8, 17 and 18—were in the house. All escaped unharmed, but the family was later evacuated and the neighbourhood placed under police cordons while Army bomb experts investigated.
Official Statements & Community Response
Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín condemned the incident as “attempted murder,” describing the family as “very, very lucky” and urging anyone with information to contact police. Sinn Féin councillor JJ Magee called the attack “reckless and dangerous,” demanding that those responsible be stopped immediately. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) coordinated the evacuation, and the British Army’s bomb disposal unit was deployed to examine the device and secure the area. Local resident Frank Dempsey of the Carrick Hill Residents’ Association expressed disbelief that a home with visible children’s toys and a pram could be targeted.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I was just woke up with an explosion at just after three o'clock. [I] jumped up, trying to get the kids out.” — Nicola Nugent, BBC
- “She has four children, the youngest of which is a baby of a year old," said Ní Chuilín.” — Carál Ní Chuilín, BBC
- “The fact that somebody would come up a garden, see kids toys in the garden and still do that to a letterbox.” — Nicola Nugent, Belfastmedia
- “There’s holes in the floors, there’s holes in the ceiling, the whole door is just black, the whole floor is just black.” — Nicola Nugent, Irish News
Impact on the Family and Neighbourhood
Nugent’s children remain “shaken up,” with the youngest still terrified of returning home. The incident has heightened anxiety across Carrick Hill, prompting residents to question security measures and the motives behind targeting a household with young children. Community leaders stress solidarity with the family while urging swift investigative progress to prevent a repeat of such “disgraceful” attacks.