Funeral being held for murdered prison officer
The funeral of prison officer Adrian Ismay, who was targeted in a booby-trap bomb attack earlier this month, is taking place in Belfast.
The 52-year-old father of three suffered seriously leg injuries when a device partially exploded under his van as he was setting off for work from his home in the Woodstock Road area on 4 March.
He died in hospital 11 days later.
There were poignant scenes at Woodvale Methodist Church on Tuesday morning as Adrian Ismay’s cortège arrived, followed by his wife and three daughters.
Secretary of State Theresa Villiers, First Minister Arlene Foster, Justice Minister David Ford and PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton are among the mourners.
Meanwhile a public vigil is set to take place outside City Hall in the afternoon, organised by trade unions and aimed at sending support to Mr Ismay’s family and his colleagues in the Prison Officers Association.
The attack on Adrian Ismay has been blamed on a dissident republican grouping known as the ‘New IRA’.
A man has appeared in court charged with murder and police have continued to appeal for information.
