Dissident group New IRA claims responsibility for Belfast police station blast; suspect arrested
The nationalist paramilitary group has issued a warning to target officers at their homes, marking a potential escalation in tactics nearly three decades after the Good Friday Agreement
Northern Irish police have arrested a 66-year-old man under the United Kingdom's Terrorism Act following a suspected car bomb attack on a Dunmurry police station in Belfast. The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed the arrest on Tuesday, noting that searches are currently ongoing in both east and west Belfast to support the investigation.
The nationalist group New IRA has claimed responsibility for the blast, stating that a delivery vehicle was hijacked and driven to the station. No injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred after the hijacking. Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck described the event as a clear attempt to disrupt communities and potentially injure or kill police officers and staff.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the New IRA declared its intent to kill police officers coming out of the station. The group further warned that it plans to target officers at their homes with bombs. This specific threat represents a potential escalation in tactics, particularly if the targeting of officers' residences is carried out.
The New IRA is a dissident republican group that opposes the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and the political compromises within it. The group rejects the agreement's stipulation that Northern Ireland will remain part of the United Kingdom unless a majority votes by referendum to unite with the Republic of Ireland. Sectarian pressures have been building in the UK-controlled territory, 28 years after the peace deal largely ended decades of violence.
The group has been responsible for a mounting series of attacks on police, including a similar attempted car bombing at a police station outside Belfast last month. The targeting of police officers at their homes would be an escalation, reminiscent of the last police officer killed in Northern Ireland, Constable Ronan Kerr, who died when a bomb exploded under his car outside his home 15 years ago.
While the New IRA has claimed responsibility, police investigations are ongoing to confirm the full details and the perpetrator's identity. The description of the attack as a car bombing relies on the group's claim and initial police assessment, with final forensic confirmation potentially altering the technical classification.
