Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Coveney pulled out of Belfast peace event after bomb scare

Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney was forced to flee a peace-building event in Belfast after a bomb scare.

UTV understands a white van was hijacked in the Tennent Street area with the driver held at gunpoint.

What's believed was a cannister was put in the back and the driver then told to go to the Houban Centre on Belfast's Crumlin Road.

The van was left abandoned in the grounds of Holy Cross Church. The Houban Centre is also in the church grounds.

Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney was pulled out by his security team mid-way through a speech.

He stopped and told those in the audience he had to leave and hoped to be back in a few minutes.

It is also understood a funeral was underway in Holy Cross Church and had to be stopped. The family are said to be left further distressed at the disruption.

Mr Coveney was giving the keynote address at the Building Common Ground event organised by the John and Pat Hume Foundation.

It is part of a series of a series of conversations to discuss how to enhance relationships in Northern Ireland, across the island and with the rest of the UK.

A spokesperson for Simon Coveney said he was taken to a "safe place".

In a tweet, Mr Coveney said he was "saddened and frustrated that someone has been attacked and victimised in this way and my thoughts are with him and his family."

He offered his thanks to the police.

Sean Farren, chair of the foundation expressed his frustration.

UUP MLA Mike Nesbitt in in attendance. He told UTV he was "lost for words".

Police are at the scene and a cordon put in place and urged people avoid the area.

Earlier this week, NI Secretary Brandon Lewis announced the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland was to be lowered from severe to substantial for the first time in 12 years.