LATEST: Bomb found close to police station in Strabane

Q Newsdesk

Police have confirmed the bomb found close to a police station in Strabane yesterday was a mortar-type device.

It was discovered in the morning by residents in Church View who were then forced to evacuate their homes.

Detectives are linking the attack to the hijacking of a delivery driver's car in the Bridge Street area of Mount Sion area on Friday night.

The orange Fiat Sedici was later found burnt out on the Evish Road.

A 33 year old man was arrested this morning and is being questioned under the Terrorism Act.
 

An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) has been recovered following a security alert in Strabane. A man has been arrested under terrorism legislation.

— PSNI DC&S District (@PSNIDCSDistrict) September 8, 2019

Detective Inspector Andrew Hamlin said:

“It is our view that that this device was placed in order to attack police officers at the nearby police station but it had the capacity to kill or seriously injure anyone in the vicinity. This is not the first time a deadly device has been left in a public space recently and serves to remind us all how little the terrorists responsible care for the lives of local people."

"At this time we are linking this incident to the hijacking of a delivery driver’s car in the Mount Sion area at around 9.40pm on Friday evening.  A fake order was placed with a pizza outlet from a phone box on Bridge Street and when the driver arrived at the stated address, his orange coloured Fiat Sedici was taken from him by three men. It was subsequently discovered on fire at Evish Road around 45 minutes later."

"I am keen to hear from anyone who saw the orange Fiat in the town or who noticed anything out of the ordinary in the Church View area on Friday night. Detectives can be contacted on 101 quoting reference number 371 07/09/19."

"We are continuing to conduct enquiries in the area today and this morning arrested a 33 year old man under terrorism legislation. He remains in police custody at present.”

Chief Constable Simon Byrne has described it as an attempt to kill or maim officers:

Another callous attempt to kill or maim our officers and a stark reminder why we need to grow @PoliceServiceNI to 7500 officers to grow our presence in communities to deal with this severe threat https://t.co/bGMBxiS9B3

— Simon Byrne (@ChiefConPSNI) September 8, 2019

Political representatives have also condemned the alert. Local Sinn Fein MP Orfhlaith Begley said:

"This security alert in the Church View area of Strabane has brought nothing but disruption to the local community.

"People have had to leave their homes as a result of this security alert and have been severely inconvenienced.

"Those behind this alert have nothing to offer the people of Strabane and have no support.

"These actions need to end immediately."

SDLP West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan said:

"There is no place for these criminals on the streets of our town. They need to get off our streets and get off the back of people living here.

"Thanks to the residents who discovered the device and the actions of police, we aren't dealing with a tragedy this morning.

"But those responsible must be flushed out of this community and they should face justice for their attempt to murder and maim our friends and neighbours.

Theres no place for these criminals on our streets. Those who planted a viable explosive device in a built up residential area were reckless with the lives of the elderly people & families who live here. They need to get off our streets & get off the back of people living here. pic.twitter.com/X42Uu7yPH7

— Daniel McCrossan MLA 🕊🇪🇺 (@McCrossanMLA) September 8, 2019

"There is a duty on anyone who has any information about this to come forward to police as soon as possible.

"The people behind this will do it again, they will put the lives of people in our community at risk. We all have to take a stand and stop them."

Residents have since been allowed back into their homes and the security alert is now over.

Chair of the Police Federation NI Mark Lindsay, said:

“Once again, public vigilance and police professionalism have averted a disaster. Three mortars aimed at the station had only one intention and that was to claim the lives of officers serving the entire community.

“These mortars are notoriously indiscriminate and inaccurate. Members of the public were just as likely to have borne the brunt of this savagery as our colleagues.

“What this thwarted attack tells us is that these terrorists are determined to kill – and to kill anyone, not just police officers. They are setting lethal traps with murderous intent and are clearly in search of what they disgustedly call a ‘spectacular’.

“They want to show some warped relevance through their brutal and sickening attacks and on the vicious assaults they commit within communities who want to see the back of them.

“These republican terrorists want to deliver nothing but anarchy and suffering. They don’t care who gets in their way or the pain they inflict as they seek to attain the unattainable.”