Strabane bomb attack: Police say device was 'a viable explosive'

Thursday night's blast is believed to have been caused by an improvised device left by the road

Two police officers have escaped injury after their patrol vehicle was damaged in a bomb attack in County Tyrone.

The police said a strong line of inquiry was that dissident republicans the New IRA were behind the attack and are treating it as attempted murder.

It happened shortly before 23:00 GMT on Thursday in the Mount Carmel Heights area of Strabane.

Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said there is evidence the device used was "a viable explosive".

More than 1,000 residents were affected by the security alert, with children being unable to get to school and carers unable to reach vulnerable residents, politicians say.

While no homes were evacuated, the road into the residential area was closed for much of Friday. It has since reopened.

Mr Singleton said the offers were in the area to carry out routine inquiries into anti-social behaviour when they were subjected to "a credible attempt to try and murder them".

Bobby Singleton says parts of what could be a command wire were found near the site

As they were leaving they saw a bright flash and heard a loud explosion.

"The officers returned for a short time to the station here in order to inspect their vehicle and noted what they thought looked like some sort of blast damage," Mr Singleton told BBC Radio Ulster.

He said both policemen were left shaken by the experience.

At a press conference on Friday, he said parts of what could be a command wire had been found near the scene.

He said the investigation was at an early stage but that given the location of the attack and previous incidents in the area, "a strong line of inquiry would be the New IRA".

"This attack took place in a busy residential area. It was reckless and any member of the public, never mind our officers, could have been hurt by it," he said.

He thanked members of the public for their patience, saying there would be a heightened police presence in the area for some time.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris expressed relief that no-one was injured.

"I condemn those involved in this attempted attack and reiterate my support for the officers concerned," he tweeted.

PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne also condemned the attack, describing it as "senseless".

Police officers in protective clothing could be seen on the streets after the attack

'Nurses couldn't get to work'

Local resident Michael McNulty had been working at his computer when he heard the bang.

"It was just before 23:00. It shook the windows and the doors, then I started to shake," he told BBC Radio Foyle.

While the security alert had been very disruptive, "it has to be done", he added.

Police will very likely be working on the assumption this was an attack carried out by the New IRA.

It has been on the back foot in recent years, after an MI5 bugging operation led to the arrest and charging of its alleged leadership in 2020.

In March, MI5 lowered the threat level to Northern Ireland for the first time in 12 years.

While the New IRA was not considered to have the capabilities of a few years ago, the police always maintained it remained dangerous.

It claimed to have opened fire on police officers in Londonderry in August.

But virtually all attempted attacks have been thwarted in recent times and its last period of more intense activity was around 2019.

Read more: Timeline of Irish dissident activity

Those responsible had no support within the community, said Daniel McCrossan, who represents the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).

"I'm beyond words to describe the anger and frustration of the community... I can see concern on the faces of people here," he said.

"Nurses couldn't get to work, teachers couldn't get to school, parents couldn't get their children to school all because of someone placing something here that has endangered the lives of police patrolling the area.

"It took a contractor to open a temporary roadway via a field at the back of this estate to ensure people could get access to and from their homes."

Five members of staff and a number of the 470 pupils at nearby St Catherine's Primary School could not get to school on Friday morning.

Following disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, further upset to any child's education was not ideal, said the school's principal, Bridget Wilders.

'Substantial' terrorist threat

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) denounced the attack as a "desperate, reckless act to murder officers working for the entire community".

PFNI chair Liam Kelly said: "The attackers wanted their roadside device to cause maximum damage and we are thankful they failed in their objective.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin said: "Any such attempt to injure members of the security forces or the PSNI would be absolutely shocking and stands to be condemned."

Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O'Neill said the attack was "reprehensible and reckless".

"This was a disgraceful attempt to kill or injure police officers in a residential area and it could have also had a devastating impact on the wider community," she said.

Describing the attack as "callous" and "cowardly", Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Jeffrey Donaldson said it was clear that those responsible offered "nothing but hurt and disruption for the communities they purport to represent".

Earlier this year, the dissident republican terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland was lowered for the first time in 12 years.

Since 2010, it had been severe, meaning an attack, or attacks, were highly likely.

In March, it was lowered to substantial, meaning attacks are likely.

The terror alert level is based on analysis of intelligence by MI5.

Roads around the site of the blast remained closed on Friday