A 66-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder and other offences following a car bomb attack on Dunmurry police station in County Antrim on 25 April. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) believes the New IRA may have been responsible for the attack, which involved a hijacked vehicle fitted with a gas cylinder device.
The suspect, arrested under the Terrorism Act earlier this week, is due to appear before Lisburn magistrates court on Saturday. He faces charges including possessing explosives with intent to endanger life, causing an explosion likely to endanger life, possession of articles for use in terrorism, and hijacking. Police allege he and an accomplice, at least one armed with a pistol, hijacked a delivery van in west Belfast and forced the driver to take it to the police station under threat of death.
The driver escaped and alerted station security, allowing police to evacuate the area before the device detonated. No casualties were reported. Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton praised officers who “immediately and courageously ran into danger” to protect the community, describing it as “nothing short of miraculous” that no one was hurt.
The attack echoes the Provisional IRA’s use of proxy bombs during the Troubles, where civilians were forced to drive explosive-laden vehicles to military targets. The New IRA is a splinter group of the Provisional IRA.
