Car Bomb Explodes At PSNI Station As New IRA Suspected

Car Bomb Outside Police Station In Belfast As New IRA Suspected

A car bomb exploded outside a police station in Dunmurry, west Belfast, after a vehicle was hijacked and used to deliver an explosive device, police have said.

PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said the car was taken shortly after 10.50pm on Saturday in the Twinbrook area, where a male delivery driver was forced to transport a device placed in the boot to Dunmurry Police Station in the Kingsway area.

The driver was ordered to abandon the vehicle outside the station, prompting police to activate the station’s attack alarm and begin evacuating nearby homes.

The device exploded as officers were moving residents to safety, including families with young children and two babies. The blast engulfed the vehicle in flames and sent debris across the surrounding area.

No injuries were reported. Police said the outcome was “nothing short of miraculous”.

Deputy Chief Constable Singleton said officers “immediately and courageously ran into danger” to evacuate residents, placing themselves at risk as the situation developed.

He said the device, while not highly sophisticated, was “reckless” and unpredictable in nature.

Police have said their early working hypothesis is that the attack may have been carried out by the New IRA. The group has not formally claimed responsibility for the incident.

The assessment follows a similar attempted attack in Lurgan in March, where a delivery driver was forced at gunpoint to transport a device to a police station. That device did not detonate. Police said there are “very many similarities” between the two incidents.

In Northern Ireland/The North, this type of attack method, often described as a proxy device, involves forcing a civilian to deliver an explosive to a target. It has historically been associated with dissident republican activity and carries a high risk to the public.

Political reaction to the incident was immediate.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill said those behind the attack “speak for absolutely no-one” and said communities “deserve peace”.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson described the reports as “deeply concerning” and said any attempt to target police or intimidate communities must be met with “the full force of the law”.

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said he was “appalled”, describing the incident as a “shameless and cowardly attack” on police.

Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood said it was “distressing and disturbing” that a car bomb had been left close to homes and businesses, adding that it was “only through the grace of God” that there were no casualties.

Policing Board chair Brendan Mullan said the device had been intended “to kill officers and cause maximum harm” in a residential area, describing it as a “callous” act.

A police cordon remains in place in the Kingsway area, with investigations ongoing. No arrests have been confirmed.

The incident highlights the continued presence of dissident republican groups in Northern Ireland/The North, operating outside the political process and capable of carrying out attacks using methods that place civilians at risk.

While such incidents remain relatively infrequent, the use of a hijacked civilian vehicle and the targeting of a police station in a residential area is likely to remain a significant focus for security services in the coming days.