A woman arrested after a hijacking and a security alert in north Belfast has been released on police bail.

Ireland’s foreign minister Simon Coveney was taken off stage mid-speech on Friday after a van was reportedly hijacked and driven to the venue where he was speaking.

Police said the van driver was threatened by two gunmen and forced to drive to another street where a fake device was placed in the vehicle and then driven to the venue.

A controlled explosion was carried out at the scene and police declared it a hoax.

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A 38-year-old woman was arrested by Serious Crime Branch detectives on suspicion of possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances, possession and concealing criminal property, and possession of a Class B controlled drug with intent to supply it.

She has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

A 41-year-old male arrested under the Terrorism Act on Sunday remains in custody.

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Mr Coveney had been addressing a peacebuilding event at the Houben Centre in Belfast, which had to be cancelled due to the incident.

The event was organised by the John and Pat Hume Foundation, and Sky News understands Mr Coveney was only five minutes into his address before he was escorted off the premises and the rest of the attendees were evacuated from the back of the building.

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