Car explosion at police station treated as attempted murder

An attempted murder investigation is under way after a car exploded outside a police station.

Shortly after 22:50 BST on Saturday a delivery driver's car was hijacked, fitted with a gas cylinder device and he was forced to drive it to Dunmurry station.

Several residents, including two babies, were being taken to safety by officers when it exploded.

The police say they currently believe the attack may have been carried out by the dissident republican group known as the New IRA.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said no one was injured thanks to the swift action taken by officers.

He said the police base was operational but, had it not been for the "immediate action" and "courage" of officers who were there "we could very well have been looking at potential fatalities".

The car was hijacked in Twinbrook in west Belfast and the device exploded when the car was parked outside Dunmurry police station, on the outskirts of Belfast.

Singleton said the investigation will by led by the PSNI Terrorism Investigation Unit and he appealed for anyone with information to contact them.

He said that there were "very many similarities" with an incident last month at Lurgan police station in County Armagh, and that the PSNI's "early working hypothesis is that this may well be the work of the New IRA who claimed responsibility for the attack in Lurgan".

"Having said that, obviously our investigators will keep an open mind, it is still at the very early stages of the investigation," he added.

"Our thoughts today are with all those affected by this cowardly attack, the delivery driver for whom this will have been an extremely traumatic experience," Singleton said.

"Residents who are still unable to return to their homes, our courageous officers and of course their families, who will be grateful their loved ones are safe, but will undoubtedly have been left shaken by the ordeal."

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said it was "everyone's responsibility to call out such reckless attacks".

"This was not just an attack aimed at our incredible and hard-working police officers and staff. These mindless idiots wantonly risked the lives of local residents including very young children," he said.

"This was an attack against the very society that so many people have strived to achieve."

The attack has been condemned by both the first and deputy first minister.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill said those behind the attack "have no vision, no support, and have nothing to offer our society".

Writing on social media, O'Neill added that "our communities deserve peace".

"No one is going to deny our young people and future generations that," she said.

While Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said she is appalled that there has been another attack directed at the PSNI.

"These acts of terrorism are as wrong today as they were in the past," she said.

"This is not the future, it is the worst dregs of our past."

The burnt out remnants of the car remain at the scene.

This is a very residential area with many elderly people living here.

Some of them stayed in their homes overnight and family members have been arriving at the police cordons this morning to try and see them.

One carer whose client lives within the restricted area was unable to get through.

One woman said her mother had been left very upset after hearing the loud explosion.

Some residents were first evacuated from their homes into the police station, and then taken to Brook Leisure centre in Dunmurry for the night.

Policing Board Chair Brendan Mullan said the explosive device was "sent to kill officers and cause maximum harm in an attack which was in the heart of a residential area".

"It is a miracle no one was seriously injured and we thank the officers, ATO and emergency services who initially responded, and have been working to ensure everyone's safety since," he said.

Mullan added that this was the second incident at a police station in recent weeks "which is depressing".

"The people have spoken when they overwhelmingly endorsed the Good Friday Agreement," he said.

"Such acts of violence have no place in a society committed to peace. We stand united in condemnation of those responsible for this terror, and in voicing support for the work of the officers and staff of the PSNI."

Lagan Valley MP Sorcha Eastwood said it was disturbing to wake up to news of a car bomb.

"It is deeply concerning that this comes just weeks after a similar attack just past the other end of Lagan Valley in Lurgan."

West Belfast MP Paul Maskey said those involved "represent no one, are void of support and have nothing to offer our society".

"They should get off the backs of our communities who want to live in peace and continue moving forward to a better future," he said.

"What is clear is that the overwhelming majority of the public rejects these ridiculous actions and understands they achieve nothing but disruption."

DUP leader Gavin Robinson said the full facts of what happened must be established urgently.

"Those responsible must be identified and brought before the courts," he said.

Secretary of State Hilary Benn said the attack was "a cowardly attempt to cause injury and destruction".

"By targeting a police station in the heart of a residential area, those responsible have shown a total disregard for the lives of local people and for the men and women who work to keep our communities safe," he said.

"We are resolute in our commitment to peace, and these actions will only strengthen our collective determination."

The term "dissident republicans" describes a range of individuals who do not accept the Good Friday Agreement - the 1998 peace deal which ended the worst of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The Provisional IRA - the main armed republican paramilitary group for most of the Troubles - declared a ceasefire in the run up to the agreement and officially ended its violent campaign in 2005.

Dissident republicanism is made up of various groups which broke away from the Provisional IRA in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, including the Continuity IRA and New IRA.

The groups are much smaller than the Provisional IRA, although they have access to high-calibre weapons and have used improvised explosive devices and mortars in attacks and attempted attacks.