PSNI Chief Jon Boutcher Says New IRA Car Bomb Attempted Murder Outside Dunmurry Police Station

A car bomb exploded outside Dunmurry police station, on the outskirts of Belfast, as police were evacuating nearby residents late on Saturday night, triggering a security alert and widespread condemnation from Northern Ireland’s political leadership.

“- 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 BBC reported Northern Ireland’s police chief, Jon Boutcher, calling the attack a "deliberate, reckless and stupid attack" and saying the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) believes dissident republicans carried it out, treating it as attempted murder.

BBC

RTE.ie likewise quoted Boutcher saying, "This was a deliberate, reckless and stupid attack that endangered so many people's lives," and described how a male delivery driver was hijacked in the Twinbrook area of west Belfast before being ordered to drive to Dunmurry police station.

Euronews said the car bomb went off after a "gas cylinder-type device" was placed in a delivery driver's hijacked car and driven to the location, and it reported that two infants were among the residents evacuated.

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

Multiple outlets emphasized that no one was harmed in the explosion, including the BBC’s account that "Fortunately, and it's only through good fortune, that nobody was seriously injured or killed," and the Guardian’s statement that "no one was harmed" and that police actions meant "Thanks to the swift actions of police, no one has been injured, which is nothing short of miraculous."

Across reports, the attack’s mechanics were tied to a hijacked delivery driver and a device placed in the vehicle before it was driven to the police station.

The BBC said the man’s vehicle was 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.

Belfast Live

ITVX similarly described that PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said the car was hijacked shortly after 10.50pm on Saturday in the Twinbrook area of west Belfast, that a gas cylinder device was placed in the boot, and that the male delivery driver was ordered to drive the car to Dunmurry Police Station in the Kingsway area and abandon it outside.

The Guardian added that residents including two babies were evacuated from nearby properties and that no one was harmed in the explosion, while Chard and Ilminster News said the incident caused police to activate the station’s attack alarm as the device was abandoned.

CBS News reported that police declared a security alert in Dunmurry after reports that a car bomb exploded near a police station, and it quoted Sorcha Eastwood saying it was "distressing and disturbing" and that it was "only through the grace of God that there are no casualties."

Euronews and the Guardian both highlighted the speed and risk taken by officers, with Euronews quoting Constable Singleton saying police evacuated nearby homes "extremely courageously, literally running into danger, placing themselves in harm’s way," and the Guardian reporting that officers "immediately and courageously ran into danger" and evacuated nearby homes to protect the community.

The attack prompted a coordinated set of condemnations and tributes, with multiple outlets quoting senior figures at a press conference and on radio.

“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 BBC reported that First Minister Michelle O'Neill said, "We thought it was really crucially important today that we stood here together with a united voice," and she added that the bomb had put people's lives at risk and "showed a blatant disregard for the local community."

Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly told reporters she was "absolutely appalled" and said, "It is 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."

The BBC quoted Jon Boutcher praising officers who "rushed towards danger" to evacuate family homes close to Dunmurry police station, and it included his warning to the public to contact the PSNI "before these people actually harm or kill somebody."

RTE.ie carried Boutcher’s broader framing that the attack was "an attack against all of us, against you, against everybody in society," and it quoted him describing the delivery driver as an "incredibly brave guy" who alerted police staff and officers as to what had happened.

The Guardian reported that 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."

Beyond politicians and police, the BBC included a resident’s account from the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme, where Joe Morgan said, "I was just flicking off lights and starting the wind down and I heard a loud bang," and he described how police began knocking on doors advising residents to evacuate in case there was a secondary device.

Several reports tied the Dunmurry blast to a pattern of similar attacks on PSNI stations, including an attempted car bomb attack on Lurgan police station in March.

The BBC said PSNI believes dissident republicans carried out the bombing, which is being treated as attempted murder, and it reported that Boutcher urged the public to contact PSNI with information.

Chard and Ilminster News

Euronews said the attack followed a similar attempted bombing on 30 March, when the device failed to explode outside a police station in the nearby town of Lurgan, with paramilitary group the New IRA claiming responsibility for that attack.

The Guardian described the Lurgan incident as a delivery driver forced at gunpoint to transport a device to Lurgan police station, and it stated that the device failed to explode, with Singleton saying 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."

ITVX likewise said Boutcher’s earlier remarks on BBC Radio Ulster indicated the car bomb attack was "likely" to have been the work of the New IRA, and it quoted Singleton saying, "There are very many similarities between the two incidents, and as a consequence of 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."

Chicago Tribune framed the attack as an attempt to undermine the 1998 agreement that brought peace to the region, and it quoted Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton saying the device was deployed against police in proximity to the public and was "idiotic" and "absolute madness."

In addition to the immediate investigation, the Guardian and Chard and Ilminster News both addressed the terror threat level, with the Guardian reporting that Singleton said the threat level in Northern Ireland is currently at "substantial" and that last night reminded police of "the murderous intent and capability that still exists."

The immediate consequences of the Dunmurry blast were framed as both a public safety issue and a test of the ongoing security posture in Northern Ireland.

“LONDON — Police in Northern Ireland have condemned a car-bomb attack on a police station as an attempt to undermine the 1998 agreement that brought peace to the region”

Chicago Tribune

CBS News reported that police released no information about the motive for the attack, while CBS also reiterated that last month police said a "crude but viable" improvised bomb was used in an attempted attack on another PSNI station in Lurgan, and that police carried out a controlled explosion after about 100 homes were evacuated.

Euronews

Chard and Ilminster News said the PSNI’s terrorism investigation unit has launched an attempted murder investigation, and it described the threat level as substantial, meaning an attack is likely, with the next highest level being severe to indicate an attack is highly likely.

The Guardian quoted Singleton saying there had been "absolutely no warning" about the attack and that explosives of the type used in Dunmurry could be "extremely volatile," while it also quoted him describing how the device engulfed the vehicle in flames and spread debris over a significant distance.

ITVX reported that the PSNI said police were currently at the scene of a security alert in the Kingsway area of Dunmurry on Sunday April 26, and it included the PSNI statement that members of the public were asked to do something, though the excerpt ends before specifying the full instruction.

Love Ballymena quoted Brendan Mullan saying the device was designed "to kill officers and cause maximum harm" and urged anyone with information to contact police on 101 or anonymously through the Crimestoppers charity.

The BBC also included a warning from Boutcher urging the public to contact the PSNI "before these people actually harm or kill somebody," and it described how the attack took place in a built-up area close to family homes with many children already in bed asleep.