LONDONDERRY, Northern Ireland, May 21 (UPI) -- Masked men tossed a small bomb in a bank in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Saturday, police said.
"There was sheer panic," said Chief Inspector John Burrows of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
"There were young children who had to be evacuated. People could have been killed when this explosion went off."
The device didn't explode until after the area was cleared of people.
Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson and Justice Minister David Ford condemned those responsible, the BBC reported.
CNN reported the bombers shouted they were members of the Irish Republican Army and fled the Santander bank branch, Londonderry Mayor Colum Eastwood said.
The Scotsman reported Sinn Fein Councilor Gerry MacLochlainn said "the people who carried out the attack need to realize that they have been rejected by the republican community and should desist immediately."
The blast came a day after British Queen Elizabeth II visited Northern Ireland.
