New IRA Car Bomb Hijacks Delivery Driver’s Vehicle Outside Dunmurry Police Station

A car bomb detonated outside Dunmurry police station in Northern Ireland late Saturday, prompting an attempted murder investigation and an evacuation of nearby homes that included “two babies,” according to the BBC and Sky News.

The BBC said the attack began when “a delivery driver's car was hijacked, fitted with a gas cylinder device and he was forced to drive it to Dunmurry station,” with the explosion occurring “shortly after 22:50 BST on Saturday.”

BBC

Sky News reported the blast happened “at around 10.50pm on Saturday” outside the station “southwest ofBelfastcity centre,” and said police were treating it as attempted murder.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said the delivery driver’s car was hijacked in the “Twinbrook area of west Belfast” and that “a gas cylinder device was placed in the boot of the vehicle.”

Singleton said the vehicle was abandoned outside the front of the station and officers “immediately and courageously ran into danger, placing themselves in harm's way” while evacuating nearby homes.

The BBC and Sky News both said no one was injured or killed, with the BBC stating: “no one was injured or killed thanks to the swift action taken by officers.”

Forensic officers examined the burnt-out wreckage in the Kingsway area of Dunmurry on Sunday morning, as Sky News reported, while the BBC described residents being taken to Brook Leisure centre in Dunmurry for the night.

Police in Northern Ireland said they currently believe the attack may have been carried out by the dissident republican group known as the New IRA, linking the Dunmurry blast to a prior attempted attack on a PSNI station in Lurgan.

The BBC reported that “the police say they currently believe the attack may have been carried out by the dissident republican group known as the New IRA,” and quoted Singleton saying there were “very many similarities” with an incident last month at Lurgan police station in County Armagh.

BBC

Singleton told the BBC that the PSNI’s “early working hypothesis is that this may well be the work of the New IRA who claimed responsibility for the attack in Lurgan.”

Sky News similarly said there were “similarities with anincident at Lurgan Police Station in March,” and that the “early working hypothesis is that this [attack in Dunmurry] may well be the work of the New IRA.”

The Times described the explosion outside Dunmurry police station as an attempt “to kill officers,” and said it was “believed to be the work of the New IRA” with an attempted murder investigation under way.

The Times also described the earlier Lurgan incident in March as one where a delivery driver was forced at gunpoint to transport a “crude but viable” explosive device to Lurgan police station, but that “That device did not explode.”

The Guardian added that detectives said the car that exploded outside Dunmurry police station had been “hijacked” in a way that bore similarities to the Lurgan attack in March, and that “our early working hypothesis is that this may well be the work of the New IRA, who claimed responsibility for the attack in Lurgan.”

Multiple reports emphasized the immediate response by PSNI officers as residents were moved away from the blast site, including elderly people and “two babies.”

The BBC said that “Several residents, including two babies, were being taken to safety by officers when it exploded,” and described how some residents were first evacuated “from their homes into the police station, and then taken to Brook Leisure centre in Dunmurry for the night.”

Sky News said officers “immediately and courageously ran into danger, placing themselves in harm's way” and evacuated nearby homes, and it described images showing a vehicle engulfed by flames next to the police station.

The Guardian quoted Singleton at a press conference at PSNI headquarters in Belfast, saying officers “immediately and courageously ran into danger, placing themselves in harm's way, and evacuated nearby homes to protect the community.”

The Guardian also quoted Singleton describing the moment residents were being moved: “A number of residents, including two babies, were being taken to safety by officers when the device exploded, engulfing the vehicle in flames and sending debris in all directions.”

GB News similarly quoted Singleton saying officers “immediately and courageously - literally running into danger, placing themselves in harm's way – evacuated nearby homes in order to protect the community.”

The BBC included firsthand accounts from residents, including a woman whose mother was “left very upset after hearing the loud explosion,” and another carer whose client lived within the restricted area was “unable to get through.”

Political leaders across Northern Ireland and the UK condemned the attack, with several statements directly referencing the danger to residents and police.

The BBC reported that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the attack and posted on X: “My thoughts are with the local community, and with the PSNI officers who work every day to keep people safe. I urge anyone with information to come forward. "Those responsible will be brought to justice."

GB News

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said it was “everyone's responsibility to call out such reckless attacks,” and described the attackers as “These mindless idiots wantonly risked the lives of local residents including very young children,” according to the BBC.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill said those behind the attack “have no vision, no support, and have nothing to offer our society,” and the BBC added that she wrote: “our communities deserve peace.”

The BBC reported that Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said she is appalled that there has been another attack directed at the PSNI, adding: “These acts of terrorism are as wrong today as they were in the past,” and “This is not the future, it is the worst dregs of our past.”

DUP leader Gavin Robinson described the incident as “deeply concerning” and said: “If this was another attempt by dissident republicans to intimidate communities and target the police, then it must be met with the full force of the law,” as quoted by Sky News and echoed by the BBC.

Brendan Mullan, chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, said the device “was sent to kill officers and cause maximum harm,” and the Guardian added that Liam Kelly said the attack “caused great upset and generated widespread and justifiable revulsion.”

While outlets agreed the blast caused no reported casualties, they differed in how they framed the ongoing threat and the investigation’s posture, including references to the Northern Ireland terrorist threat level and the need for vigilance.

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The Guardian said Singleton was asked whether the terrorist threat level in Northern Ireland—currently at “substantial”—should be reassessed, and Singleton replied: “Obviously the device in Lurgan hadn’t functioned, but I think we can see that that was probably through good fortune more than anything else.”

New York Post

The Guardian quoted Singleton saying: “Obviously last night reminds us of the murderous intent and capability that still exists and is regularly deployed against our officers, so it’s vital that we remain vigilant in order to keep not only ourselves safe but also the wider community.”

The Guardian also reported there had been “no warning about the attack,” and that explosives of the type used in Dunmurry could be “extremely volatile.”

GB News described the investigation as “an attempted murder investigation” spearheaded by a terrorism unit, and said a large cordon remained in place around Dunmurry with a further policing operation launched in the Twinbrook estate.

The BBC said the investigation was under way and that police were treating it as attempted murder, with counter-terrorism police leading the investigation, while Sky News said the investigation will be led by counter-terrorism police.

The Times added that Singleton said the attack showed that “murderous intent and capability” still exists and is “regularly deployed against our officers,” and it quoted him saying “It is a miracle no-one was seriously injured.”