SDLP South Antrim MLA Thomas Burns said those who left explosives in a car at Aldergrove Airport have already done massive damage.
He said: “The find did not interfere with flights, although it caused inconvenience for those who could not get to their cars, but that’s not the major point. Put the words bomb and airport in the one sentence and it goes around the world in ten seconds, inevitably tying us in the public mind to much more serious terrorist plots against aircraft.
“The most likely explanation is that some group, probably dissidents, were using the long-stay car park for storage and/or handover of explosive devices. But the net result is damage to our image, probably damage to our tourist industry and an even tougher job to do attracting the inward investment we so badly need.”
