A bomb exploded earlier this week underneath a van being driven by a prison officer in Belfast. Police Service of Northern Ireland Superintendent Darrin Jones said, ‘This could have been a fatal attack and we condemn it in the utmost circumstances. The people who did this set out to kill. Thankfully, on this occasion they weren't successful, but they may be next time. There is a severe threat in Northern Ireland, which means that an attack is highly likely. We believe that in the runup to Easter, there are people in dissident Republican groupings who want to try and kill police officers, prison officers or soldiers.’ This Easter is the one hundredth anniversary of the Easter Rising, when Irish Republicans enacted an armed rebellion against British rule. It was one of the most significant events historically in the establishing of an independent Irish Republic.