Loyalist militants likely behind Belfast hijacking, police say

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney leaves the stage after learning about a potential security threat during his speech at 'Building Common Ground' event of the The John And Pat Hume Foundation in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Britain March 25, 2022 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. The John And Pat Hume Foundation/via REUTERS

Pro-British loyalist militant groups were likely behind the hijacking and placing of a suspect device in a van that was ordered to drive to an event where Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney was speaking on Friday, police said.

The device placed by the two gunmen was declared a hoax but was clearly designed to cause maximum disruption, Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan told a news conference, adding that he would not speculate on the motivation of the crime.

"The victim believed he was driving a van with a live bomb and that his family were being threatened. ... At this early stage of the investigation our assessment is that these crimes were carried out by loyalist paramilitary groups," McEwan said.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Leslie Adler)