Dissident republicans are making 'concerted effort' to kill Northern Ireland police, senior officer warns

Around 40 petrol bombs were thrown at officers as they searched for dissident republicans

Vincent Wood
Tuesday 10 September 2019 21:46 BST
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Monday's discovery of an explosive device marked the eighth attack, or attempted attack, of 2019
Monday's discovery of an explosive device marked the eighth attack, or attempted attack, of 2019

Dissident republicans are making a "concerted effort" to kill police in Northern Ireland, a senior officer has warned after the search for those behind a New IRA explosive device led to petrol bombs being hurled at officers.

Detectives have said the bomb that was being stored in a parked car in Derry, was to be targetted at a police patrol.

The improvised device which was packed with commercial high explosives could be detonated by a wired control.

As officers carried out searches in connection to the device, they were attacked with missiles by members of a crowd of 60 to 100 people, with around 40 petrol bombs thrown during the disorder.

"All I can say is that there seems to be more of a concerted effort by dissident republicans," said Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton. "We have seen almost the re-emergence of the Continuity IRA in the Tyrone area, we also saw the attack in Craigavon, which we would attribute to CIRA.

"We have seen a regular tempo of activity in Derry from the New IRA. Only they can explain why they are doing it."

The explosive device marked the eighth attack or attempted attack of 2019 – a list that includes the murder of Lyra Mckee, the journalist shot by a gunman in Derry while he targeted police in April.

In August an explosive device was found under an officer’s car at an East Belfast golf club.

The discovery this week was the result of a major search operation for material in the Creggan housing estate in Derry.

Mr Hamilton said: "The use of this type of high-explosive in a community area has to be condemned. It is highly reckless, extremely dangerous and would have had devastating effects."

He added: "It is worrying for me as a police officer and I think it is worrying for communities and that is why now we need to stand very firmly together against this."

The Creggan device was found just a day after another was found near the Irish border.

An IED was discovered in Strabane, Co Tyrone after being first spotted by local residents. During the alert people who lived in the town’s highly residential and built-up Church View area were evacuated from their homes as Army bomb experts investigated.

A man was arrested under the Terrorism Act in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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