Omagh: Police renew appeal for information after hijack hoax

Police said it was a completely harrowing ordeal for the motorist

Police have renewed their appeal for information after a car was hijacked near a church outside Omagh in County Tyrone last week.

The motorist was held at gunpoint by three masked men and forced to drive a suspicious object to a police station.

The hijacking happened near Fireagh Road, off the Dromore Road at about 22:00 BST on Saturday.

Two men arrested the next day were released following questioning and the object was declared an elaborate hoax.

Both search and arrest operations were carried out under the Terrorism Act and two vehicles were also seized for forensic examination.

'Harrowing ordeal'

Several homes were evacuated during a security alert near the police station, on the Derry Road in Omagh, on Saturday night.

Sunday Mass was cancelled at the nearby St Mary's Church as a result of the incident, while police searched the grounds.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Insp Wilson said: "As you can imagine, this has been a totally harrowing ordeal for the driver, and indeed distressing for those who had to be evacuated from their homes."

Police are investigating the incident and are appealing for anyone with information or dash-cam footage to contact them on 101.