The Five Demands

Police ‘lured’ to Derry bombs (UTV)

Police and members of the public had a lucky escape from a planned attack by dissident republicans when two bombs were found in Londonderry, a police chief has said.

A volunteer with Foyle Search and Rescue uncovered a pipe bomb in a rucksack attached to a bike along the river, close to the Derry City Council offices on Strand Road on Friday.

Police and the army bomb team were called in to investigate when they found a second bomb – with a timer attached to it – inside the office grounds.

Area Commander Jon Burrows said officers had been lured into the area.

“I’ve no doubt that that was intended to kill or seriously injure police officers or the army bomb disposal officer who attended to the first incident,” he told UTV.

“These people want to kill police officers but they’re more than happy to take the risk that your son or daughter, mother or father is killed in this process. That’s a risk to them that’s worth taking.”

Area Commander Burrows said he believes the attack was the work of dissident republicans, although no group has claimed responsibility for leaving the bombs.

More than 60 people have been arrested in the city in connection with dissident republican activity in the past 18 months, and 16 have so far been charged.

Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan said the alert was “extremely worrying”.

“It’s clear that the council was the target, but the council is here to serve the whole of the city,” he said.

The Strand Road was closed between Queen’s Quay roundabout and Rock Road but has since reopened to traffic and residents who were evacuated from their homes have been allowed to return.

“While disruption has been minimised, it’s still extremely worrying for the vast majority of people in Derry that there are people in the city that are prepared to carry out these actions,” said the SDLP MLA.

Sinn Féin MLA Maeve McLaughlin said the attack showed “utter disregard” for the local community.

“Whoever left these devices endangered the lives of the hundreds of people who use this walkway on daily and nightly basis as well local residents,” she commented.

Alliance Justice spokesperson Stewart Dickson MLA added, “The people responsible for these pipe bombs are offering nothing to our society. The public have accepted the peace process and have rejected violence.”