The component parts of a bomb were picked up by a child in Newry, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has said.
A suspicious object found in the Violet Hill Avenue area of the city on Sunday sparked a 24-hour security alert, which ended on Monday afternoon.
The PSNI said British army bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion on what are believed to be the component parts for an explosive device.
A number of items were taken away for forensic examination.
“When such items are left in a public area they can be innocently handled by anyone,” said Superintendent Jane Humphries.
“On this occasion it was picked up by a child.”
She appealed for anyone with information to contact police on 101.
