A car bomb exploded near a police station in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland on Saturday evening, with authorities attributing the attack to the New IRA according to UPI. Police described it as an attempted murder but noted that no injuries were reported due to swift action from officers who evacuated nearby residents. The incident occurred when a delivery driver's car was hijacked in West Belfast and forced to drive the bomb-laden vehicle to the police station.
Key Takeaways
A car bomb exploded near a police station in Belfast on Saturday evening, with authorities attributing it to the New IRA. No injuries were reported due to swift action from police officers who evacuated nearby residents, including two babies. The attack is being treated as attempted murder and has been widely condemned by political leaders.
The explosion happened around 10:50 PM, engulfing the vehicle in flames and sending debris in all directions according to Sky News. Among those evacuated were two babies. Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) stated that the attack was nearly identical to an earlier incident at Lurgan police station in March, which was also attributed to the New IRA.
The PSNI treated the incident as attempted murder and praised officers for their courageous response. Forensic officers examined the wreckage on Sunday morning. The attack has been widely condemned by political leaders, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill, and DUP leader Gavin Robinson according to Sky News. They described it as a cowardly act and vowed to bring those responsible to justice.
The incident occurred amid ongoing tensions in Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement largely ended decades of violence between Republican groups opposed to British rule and those who want to maintain the region's ties to the United Kingdom according to CBS News. However, dissident groups that oppose the peace process still carry out sporadic attacks.
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