A car bomb has exploded near a police station in Northern Ireland. Authorities believe it to be 'the work of the New IRA'
A car bomb exploded on Saturday, April 25, in the town of Dunmurry, near the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, which is why several locals were evacuated from their homes. According to authorities, the incident “could be the work of the New IRA”.
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Two babies were among those evacuated, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) reports, writes Sky News.
The car, which belonged to a courier, was hijacked in the Twinbrook area of west Belfast and an explosive device was placed in the boot. The man was forced to drive the vehicle to Dunmurry Police Station.
The vehicle was abandoned in front of the station, and the police “they intervened immediately and courageously, putting their lives at risk” to evacuate nearby homes.
“Several residents, including two babies, were being evacuated by police when the device exploded, engulfing the car in flames and throwing debris in all directions”PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said, describing the incident as a “cowardly attack”.
Singleton said there were similarities to an incident at Lurgan police station in March and that “ithe working hypothesis is that this attack could be the work of the New IRA” (Irish Republican Army).
The investigation is being coordinated by the anti-terrorist police. The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, said that the perpetrators of the attack “it does not represent anyone”.
“They have no vision, no support and nothing to offer our society. Our communities deserve peace”she wrote on social networks.
Last month, another explosive device, described by police as “rudimentary but functional”, was used in an attempted attack on a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) station.
In that case, a courier was forced at gunpoint to carry the device to Lurgan police station in an incident attributed to dissident republicans.
What is IRA?
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a republican paramilitary organization that seeks the establishment of a republic, the end of British rule in Northern Ireland and the reunification of Ireland.
Over time, several groups have used the IRA name, usually following ideological misunderstandings.
The Real IRA is a paramilitary group that broke away from the IRA in 1997, rejected the Good Friday (1998) peace agreement, and continued armed attacks. That agreement largely ended the conflict between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland, writes Britanica.
The Real IRA is responsible for the 1998 Omagh bombing that killed 29, the worst of the Northern Irish conflict.
Over time, the group has been involved in bombings and attacks on British forces and police, remaining one of the main dissident republican factions active in Northern Ireland.
The New IRA is a republican paramilitary group formed in 2012 after the merger of several factions, which has continued attacks against the British police and army. It is the most active of the dissident groups, but smaller than the original IRA.
