Hijacked car contained bomb driven to Northern Ireland police station

Police in Northern Ireland say a hijacked food delivery vehicle was forced to drive to a police station while carrying an improvised explosive device, prompting a large security operation and controlled explosion.

The incident occurred on Monday night in Lurgan, about 30 km from Belfast, when two masked men stopped a delivery driver and ordered him to take the vehicle to a police station, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

The driver later managed to escape and alerted authorities, telling security staff that an unknown object had been placed in the boot of the car.

Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed that the vehicle contained a “crude but viable” improvised explosive device. A controlled explosion was later carried out to make the area safe.

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said early investigations suggest dissident republican groups are “highly likely” to be responsible for the attempted attack.

Over 100 nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution while bomb disposal experts dealt with the device.

Officials said the tactic used in the incident resembled so-called “proxy bomb” methods, where civilians are forced under threat to transport explosives.

The attempted attack has drawn widespread political condemnation. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn called it a “reckless act of violence,” while political leaders across parties also strongly condemned the incident.

Gavin Robinson, head of the Democratic Unionist Party, said the method was a “chilling throwback” to the worst days of the Troubles, referring to the decades-long conflict that ended with the 1998 peace agreement.

Although the Good Friday Agreement largely ended large-scale violence, security forces in Northern Ireland remain occasional targets of dissident groups opposed to British governance.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada