New IRA Threatens Further Attacks After Claiming Dunmurry Bomb

New IRA Threatens Further Attacks After Claiming Dunmurry Bomb

The group behind the Dunmurry car bomb has claimed it and said they’re prepared to do it again.

In a statement released after the attack, dissident Republicans said they will continue targeting the PSNI and warned that officers’ homes could also be targeted.

The bomb exploded outside the PSNI station in Dunmurry late on Saturday night. A delivery driver had been hijacked and forced to drive the vehicle to the station. He managed to alert police before the device went off.

Officers cleared the area quickly. Nearby homes were evacuated, including families with young children. Two babies were among those moved out before the explosion.

The device destroyed the vehicle and caused damage at the front of the station.

Police have said the attack is being treated as attempted murder. They believe the intention was to hit officers as they were leaving or moving around the station.

The group has now confirmed that was the aim.

They also warned that anyone giving information to police would be “dealt with”, which is being taken as a direct threat.

There was a similar attempted attack in Lurgan earlier this month involving a hijacked vehicle and a device left near a police station, although that device did not detonate in the same way.

Taken together, the two incidents are likely to raise concerns about further activity.

Police have said the device used in Dunmurry had the potential to cause serious injury or worse depending on timing and proximity.

The investigation is ongoing.