A suspicious object found on a footpath in Belfast has been declared a viable device.
Detectives are appealing for information after a security alert in the Upper Lisburn Road area of the city on Friday.
PSNI officers, along with a bomb squad, attended the scene after a suspicious object was discovered.
The object was found to be a viable device and it has been removed for further examination.
The road, which was temporarily closed, has since re-opened.
A PSNI spokesperson said: "The device was found on a footpath, where anyone - including children - could easily have come across it.
"This was a wicked and cowardly act, with potentially devastating consequences.
"We are working to establish a motive and identify those responsible."
The PSNI is appealing to anyone with information, or who noticed any suspicious activity in the area, to contact detectives.
