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Dissident IRA group likely behind Londonderry bomb

Police in Londonderry have arrested four men in connection with a bomb left outside a courthouse in the city on 19 January.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the attack may have been carried out by dissident republican group the New IRA, describing the bomb as a ‘crude device’.

A pizza delivery van was hijacked by two armed men in Derry at about 18:00 on 19 January, before being eft outside the courthouse just over an hour later. The attack, which happened when the bomb went off at 20:09, has been described as ‘unbelievably reckless’ by the PSNI.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said that a warning was called into the Samaritans in the West Midlands that was passed to West Midlands police, who contacted the Police Service of Northern Ireland. In that time the police had already found the car and were starting to evacuate the area.

He said: “Clearly, it was a very significant attempt to kill people here in this community. Thankfully, the local community and the police service acted bravely together and we got everybody away just in time. But the bomb detonated just as we were leaving the area.

"This attack was unbelievably reckless. Thankfully the attackers failed to kill or injure any members the local community out socialising and enjoying the best of what the city has to offer. The people responsible for this attack have shown no regard for the community or local businesses. They care little about the damage to the area and the disruption they have caused.”

Two men in their 20s were detained in the early hours of Sunday morning, while another two men, aged 34 and 42, were held on Sunday evening.

Hamilton described the New IRA as ‘small, largely unrepresentative, and determined to drag people back to somewhere they don't want to be’.

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