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Four suspected pipe bombs have been found by police in a cemetery in Northern Ireland.

Officers sealed off the City Cemetery in Creggan, Londonderry, on Tuesday following the discovery of a suspicious device.

Police said all four devices were located in the same area where clothes worn by participants in a republican parade on Easter Monday were removed under the cover of umbrellas and burnt.

“The operation in the cemetery is now complete and police officers have left the scene,” a PSNI spokesperson said.

It comes just hours ahead of US President Joe Biden’s visit to Belfast.

Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said the discovery of the devices in Derry was a “sinister and worrying” development.

“The actions of those responsible are reprehensible and show a complete disregard and utter contempt for the community,” he said.

“These suspected pipe bombs were left in a cemetery a place where people lay loved ones to rest and visit to pay their respects. That is absolutely shameful.”

Read: Joe Biden visit – latest: US president sets off for Northern Ireland

 A PSNI vehicle inside Derry City Cemetery, which is temporarily closed as Army Technical Officers check for devices, following a dissident Republican parade in the Creggan area of Londonderry on Easter Monday. Picture date: Tuesday April 11, 2023.
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Police searched the cemetery on Tuesday

Mr Singleton said the devices were made safe and taken away for further forensic examination. He said counter-terrorism officers would now lead an investigation.

Police vehicle attacked on Easter Monday

Officers have condemned a petrol bomb attack on officers in Derry during an Easter Monday parade as “senseless and reckless”.

The incendiary devices were thrown at an armoured police Land Rover in Creggan while officers attended what they described as an “unnotified” march by dissident republicans.

President Joe Biden boards Air Force One, Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Biden is traveling the United Kingdom and Ireland in part to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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President Joe Biden boards Air Force One for Northern Ireland

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The vehicle, which was being used in the monitoring of the parade at the time of the Londonderry attack, was withdrawn from the scene and no one was reported injured.

The incident was condemned by political leaders in Northern Ireland, including Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill, who described the violent scenes as “deplorable”.

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Police vehicle attacked in Northern Ireland

The incident happened on Easter Monday, which this year coincided with the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement – a peace deal that largely ended three decades of sectarian bloodshed in Northern Ireland.

It is also the day dissident republicans traditionally mark the anniversary of the Easter Rising rebellion against British rule in 1916.

Terror threat level raised in Northern Ireland

Police had warned that they had “strong” intelligence terror attacks were being planned against their officers on Easter Monday.

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25 years of Northern Ireland peace

MI5 recently raised the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

This followed the shooting of senior detective John Caldwell in Co Tyrone, who has been left with life-changing injuries.

Police have blamed the New IRA for the attack.

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Girl, 10, and father, who died in caravan park fire in Lincolnshire named

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Girl, 10, and father, who died in caravan park fire in Lincolnshire named

Two people who died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness have been named by police.

Lincolnshire Police said 48-year-old Lee Baker and his 10-year-old daughter Esme Baker, both from the Nottingham area, were killed in the blaze.

However, formal identification is still yet to take place and “could take some time”, the force said.

Emergency services were alerted to a fire at Golden Beach Holiday Park, in the village of Ingoldmells, at 3.53am on Saturday.

In a statement issued through police, a member of the Baker family said: “Lee and Esme were excited to be spending the first weekend of the holidays together.

“We are all utterly devastated at what’s happened.

“This loss is incomprehensible at the moment, and we ask for people to give us space to process this utterly heartbreaking loss.”

A GoFundMe page set up for the victims’ family described the father and daughter as “two peas in a pod” who were “both happy-go-lucky people who loved life”. It has so far raised more than £3,000.

The police force, together with Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, are continuing to investigate the cause of the blaze.

Detective Inspector Lee Nixon said: “We believe we might be close to arriving at a working hypothesis.

“We are working hard to validate the facts available to us to be able to provide answers for the family and loved ones of those who were very tragically taken by this fire.

“Yet the evident intensity of the fire has made this task incredibly challenging.”

Dan Moss, from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, said: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the family at this time.

“Our Fire Investigation Team is working with colleagues from Lincolnshire Police, and a full investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

“Once investigations are complete, local fire crews and our community fire safety team will be on hand to talk to people in the area and address any fire safety concerns they may have, at what will be an upsetting time.”

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Man arrested over wildfire that triggered ‘major incident’ in Northern Ireland

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Man arrested over wildfire that triggered 'major incident' in Northern Ireland

A man has been arrested by police investigating a “significant” wildfire that triggered a major incident in Northern Ireland.

More than 100 firefighters and 15 fire appliances were deployed on Saturday to Sandbank Road, Hilltown, to tackle the blaze which is believed to have been caused deliberately, fire chiefs said.

Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said the fire had a front of approximately two miles “including a large area of forestry close to property”.

It was extinguished at 2.53am on Sunday and the major incident status lifted, the NIFRS said.

“The cause of this fire is believed to have been deliberate,” chief fire and rescue officer Aidan Jennings said.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said on Sunday that a 25-year-old man had been arrested “on suspicion of arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered, and non-related driving offences”.

“He remains in custody at this time as enquiries continue into the circumstances surrounding the fire,” the force added.

A wildfire broke out in Northern Ireland. Pic: Sky Watch NI
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The wildfire on Sandbank Road, Hilltown. Pic: Sky Watch NI

A wildfire broke out in Northern Ireland. Pic: Sky Watch NI
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More than 100 firefighters were at the scene of the fire. Pic: Sky Watch NI

Various fires erupted across England this week amid uncharacteristically warm and dry conditions for the time of year.

On Saturday, helicopters were deployed to tackle Scotland’s fourth wildfire this week, with police saying a blaze “which started in the Newton Stewart area has spread northwards and is expected to reach the Loch Doon area of East Ayrshire around 12am on Sunday”.

Police Scotland added: “As a precautionary measure members of the public are asked to avoid the Loch Doon area and anyone who may be camping in the area is advised to leave.”

Dorset wildfires
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Moors Valley Country Park blackened by fires this week

Elsewhere in England, Devon and Cornwall Police said they were assisting the fire service with temporary road closures on the A30 in the Bolventor area as they tackle “a number of fires” on moorland.

In Dorset, Moors Valley Country Park was forced to close after multiple wildfires broke out there on Wednesday.

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Wildfires spread across nature reserve

Separate incidents were then reported at Upton Heath in Poole on Wednesday, and nearby Canford Heath in the early hours of Thursday.

Friday was officially the warmest day of the year so far – with temperatures in the south of England reaching 23C (73.4F) – the highest since 21 September last year, according to the Met Office.

The weather conditions triggered a “severe” wildfire rating for parts of the UK on Tuesday.

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Man shot dead in Stanley, County Durham

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Man shot dead in Stanley, County Durham

Police are investigating after a man was shot dead in County Durham.

Officers were called to an address in Elm Street, Stanley, at about 5.20pm on Saturday after reports of a “disturbance”, Durham Constabulary said.

A man in his 50s was found to have been shot and despite the efforts of paramedics he was pronounced dead at the scene.

His family have been told and are being supported by specially trained officers.

Specialist crime scene investigators are at the scene, and officers are carrying out house-to-house enquiries.

A cordon is in place and is expected to stay there for some time.

Detective Superintendent Neil Fuller said: “This is a truly shocking incident in which a man has been shot and has sadly died.”

He added: “Residents may see an increased police presence in the area. I would like to thank them for their support while we carry out this investigation.

“Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this time.”

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Man arrested over wildfire that triggered ‘major incident’

Durham Constabulary has urged anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage or CCTV to contact the force.

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