Police blame ‘New IRA’ for Strabane mortar bomb
A mortar bomb found outside homes in Strabane over the weekend was the work of the New IRA, according to police who have already said it was intended to kill officers.
The viable device was discovered at Church View Close in the early hours of Saturday.
“The people who left this device had every intention of killing my colleagues serving the Strabane community,” PSNI District Commander Superintendent Gordon McCalmont said.
“They showed no regard for the families, elderly and vulnerable people who were forced to leave their homes and whose lives were put at risk.
“As a parent myself, it was terrifying to hear local mother Aileen Mullan recount how close her children were to this deadly device.”
Superintendent McCalmont added: “To further highlight the recklessness and total disregard shown by the New IRA, a public safety operation is taking place in Creggan [in Londonderry] involving approximately 80 officers and explosive detection dogs.
“Our assessment is that this group is concealing bomb-making materials.”
Superintendent McCalmont further stated: “We have a number of areas of focus, but there is nothing definitive and no guarantees. However, our chances of success are vastly improved by support and information from the community.
“Our focus will remain on keeping the community safe against the threat posed by these violent groups and I would strongly urge people to report any suspicions they have about dangerous and illegal activity in our community.”