New IRA Suspected in Dunmurry Car Bomb Outside Belfast Police Station

A car bomb exploded outside a police station in Dunmurry, on the outskirts of Belfast, prompting a security alert and evacuations in the surrounding area, according to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

CBS News reported that police declared the alert in Dunmurry after reports that a car bomb exploded near a police station, and said homes in the vicinity were evacuated with the public advised to avoid the area.

BBC

The BBC described the attack as a car bomb that exploded outside a police station, with Northern Ireland’s police chief saying it was a “deliberate, reckless and stupid attack.”

The Guardian reported detectives believed the New IRA was involved and were treating it as attempted murder, with Bobby Singleton, the deputy chief constable of the PSNI, saying the car had been “hijacked” in a way that bore similarities to an attack on Lurgan police station in March.

Multiple outlets tied the incident to a delivery driver who was ordered to drive the vehicle to Dunmurry police station, where it exploded as residents were being evacuated.

The CBS News account placed the incident “last night,” while the BBC and Guardian specified the vehicle was hijacked shortly after 10.50pm on Saturday in the Twinbrook area of west Belfast.

In the immediate aftermath, the BBC said the device detonated while police were directing local residents to safety, including families with young babies, and that “Fortunately, and it’s only through good fortune, that nobody was seriously injured or killed.”

Investigators and officials described a sequence in which a male delivery driver was hijacked and forced to transport a device to Dunmurry police station.

The Guardian said the vehicle was hijacked shortly after 10.50pm on Saturday in the Twinbrook area of west Belfast and that a gas cylinder device was placed in the boot, before a male delivery driver was ordered to drive the car to Dunmurry police station in the Kingsway area and abandon it outside.

BBC

The BBC similarly said the man’s vehicle had been hijacked at gunpoint in Twinbrook, west Belfast, shortly after 22:50 BST on Saturday, and that his vehicle was then fitted with a gas cylinder device before he was ordered to bring the bomb to the station, where it exploded.

In the BBC’s account, the device detonated while police were directing local residents to safety, including families with young babies, and Jon Boutcher praised officers who “rushed towards danger” to evacuate family homes close to Dunmurry police station on Saturday night.

The Guardian added that residents including two babies were evacuated from nearby properties and no one was harmed in the explosion.

In a separate report, Chicago Tribune said the incident took place at about 10:30 p.m. after the attackers stopped a delivery driver, placed an improvised bomb in his vehicle, and ordered him to drive it to the police station.

Across the coverage, officials emphasized that police were evacuating nearby homes when the blast occurred, with the Guardian quoting Singleton saying officers “immediately and courageously ran into danger, placing themselves in harm’s way, and evacuated nearby homes to protect the community.”

Officials framed the Dunmurry attack as part of a continuing threat from dissident republican groups, with multiple outlets reporting police believed the New IRA was responsible.

“- Published A car bomb which exploded outside a police station was a "deliberate, reckless and stupid attack", Northern Ireland's police chief has said”

BBC

The Guardian said detectives believed the New IRA was involved and were treating it as attempted murder, and it quoted Bobby Singleton saying the car that exploded outside Dunmurry police station had been “hijacked” in a way that bore similarities to an attack on Lurgan police station in March.

The Guardian also reported Singleton said there were “very many similarities between the two incidents,” and that consequently “our early working hypothesis is that this may well be the work of the New IRA, who claimed responsibility for the attack in Lurgan.”

The BBC reported that the PSNI believes dissident republicans carried out the bombing and that it was being treated as attempted murder, with Jon Boutcher calling it “deliberate, reckless and stupid.”

In the CBS News report, police released no information about the motive for the attack, but it described a prior attempted attack on another PSNI station in Lurgan last month, saying a “crude but viable” improvised bomb was used.

The Guardian and Chard and Ilminster News both discussed the terrorism threat level, with the Guardian stating it was “substantial” and quoting Singleton saying “Obviously last night reminds us of the murderous intent and capability that still exists and is regularly deployed against our officers.”

The BBC also included a warning from Boutcher urging anyone with information to contact the PSNI “before these people actually harm or kill somebody,” and it said “No one has yet claimed responsibility, but we are expecting to hear a claim of responsibility, and from what we know it may will likely be again the New IRA.”

Political leaders and police officials condemned the bombing while praising the response by officers and emphasizing the danger posed to the public.

The Guardian reported that First Minister Michelle O’Neill said those behind the attack “speak for absolutely no one,” while DUP leader Gavin Robinson said police and the public “should never have to face this kind of danger.”

Belfast Live

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

The BBC said First Minister Michelle O’Neill told the press that the bomb had put people’s lives at risk and “showed a blatant disregard for the local community,” and it described her as calling it an “extremely terrifying ordeal” for the delivery driver who was forced to transport the bomb to its target.

The BBC also quoted Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly saying she was “absolutely appalled” and that it was “vitally important that we send a very clear message this morning that we stand shoulder to shoulder in clear and unequivocal condemnation of this attack.”

In the Guardian, the chair of the Northern Ireland policing board Brendan Mullan said the device “was sent to kill officers and cause maximum harm in an attack which was in the heart of a residential area,” and it reported he called the second incident “depressing.”

In the RTE.ie report, Jon Boutcher stood alongside Stormont leaders and said, “This was an attack against all of us, against you, against everybody in society, these mindless idiots risked the lives of local residents, including two young babies.”

As the incident unfolded, police and officials urged the public to remain vigilant and to provide information, while investigations continued into attempted murder.

“Police in Northern Ireland on Sunday declared a security alert in the town of Dunmurry, on the outskirts of Belfast, after reports that a car bomb exploded near a police station”

CBS News

The Guardian said the PSNI was treating the attack as attempted murder and that Singleton told reporters there had been no warning about the attack, adding that explosives of the type used in Dunmurry could be “extremely volatile.”

CBS News

The Chard and Ilminster News account stated that the PSNI’s terrorism investigation unit has launched an attempted murder investigation, and it quoted Singleton saying “there was absolutely no warning” and that explosives “can be extremely volatile.”

The BBC reported that Boutcher urged anyone with information to contact the PSNI “before these people actually harm or kill somebody,” and it said the attack took place in a built-up area, close to family homes in which many children were already in bed asleep.

The Belfast Live report described a security alert in Dunmurry and said homes were evacuated, while Sinn Féin Assembly member Danny Baker expressed concern and asked people to avoid the area and to get in touch if residents needed support, adding that “At this stage, there is very little information, and I hope no-one is hurt.”

The Love Ballymena report said the device was designed “to kill officers and cause maximum harm,” and it urged anyone with information to contact police on 101 or anonymously through the Crimestoppers charity.

Taken together, the coverage portrayed a continuing threat assessment, with the Guardian and Chard and Ilminster News both referencing the terrorism threat level being “substantial” and with Singleton saying it was “vital that we remain vigilant in order to keep not only ourselves safe but also the wider community.”