Lurgan security alert declared 'elaborate hoax'

A suspicious object which sparked a Security Alert in Lurgan yesterday was an 'elaborate hoax'.

Part of Allenhill Park was closed for much of the day after the item was found by a member of the public.

Detectives say violent dissident republicans were to blame.

In a post online a spokesperson for the PSNI Said: "The same ones who time and time again show their commitment to disrupting the community they live in, ruining lives, and using violence and intimidation to inflict as much damage as they can on the good people of Lurgan.

"This device was an elaborate hoax, and was without doubt aimed at doing exactly what it did- cause annoyance, disruption, and fear to the community.

"It also meant the closure of a park, where families, children and dog walkers should have been enjoying their day.

"We would like to thank those who were inconvenienced today. It would be easy to get annoyed with us, as the ones on the ground, however the messages and words of support we have had from people show us beyond doubt that the Lurgan public are not fooled by the dissidents scheming, and know exactly who is responsible for today's upheaval."