Detectives have charged a man to court in connection with a south Belfast security alert.

Officers discovered a suspicious object in the Empire Street area on Wednesday morning, 29th January.

Chief Inspector Mark Conway said: “The object, believed to be an improvised grenade, has been removed and made safe by ATO – evacuated residents in the area have also been allowed to return home.

“A 50-year-old man who was arrested has now been charged with a number of offences in connection with the investigation. He is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning, 31st January.

“We would reiterate our message that we are aware of inaccurate online speculation regarding this alert, and we advise the public not rely on such sources for their information.

“I would also like to thank the local community for their patience and understanding as a public safety operation was carried out overnight and into today.

“I fully understand the disruption this can cause, however, our primary aim throughout the course of this operation was to keep our community safe.

“Our enquiries remain ongoing, with a police presence remaining in the area overnight as we continue with our enquiries. Anyone with information which could assist our investigation or noticed anything suspicious in the area in recent days, is asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference number 401 29/01/25.”

A report can also be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/

You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/