Dunmurry car bomb: 'Nothing short of miraculous' that no one was injured in 'reckless' attack says PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton
It is ‘nothing short of miraculous’ that no one was injured in a car bomb explosion outside Dunmurry police station on Saturday night, Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton has said.
Police have revealed that a delivery driver’s car was hijacked in the Twinbrook area of west Belfast shortly after 10.50pm on Saturday night and a gas cylinder device placed in the boot of the vehicle.
The man was then ordered to drive it to Dunmurry police station.
The vehicle was abandoned outside the front of the station and police immediately activated the station’s attack alarm.
Deputy Chief Constable Singleton condemned the “reckless attack” and praised bravery of police personnel.
"Police officers immediately and courageously ran into danger, placing themselves in harm’s way, and evacuated nearby homes to protect the community,” he said.
"A number of residents, including two babies, were being taken to safety by officers when the device exploded, engulfing the vehicle in flames and sending debris in all directions."
The senior PSNI officer stressed that what this type of device “may have lacked in terms of its sophistication and scale, it more than made up for in its reckless unpredictability”.
He added: “Thanks to the swift actions of police, no one has been injured, which is nothing short of miraculous.
"Our thoughts today are with all those affected by this cowardly attack, the delivery driver for whom this will have been an extremely traumatic experience, residents who are still unable to return to their homes, our courageous officers and of course their families, who will be grateful their loved ones are safe, but will undoubtedly have been left shaken by the ordeal.”
Deputy Chief Constable Singleton said he wanted to reassure the community that the PSNI “will not be deterred or distracted” by last night’s “senseless and reckless attack”.
He added: “We’ve made great progress as a society and we won’t allow those who are intent on dragging us backward to succeed. Instead we’ll continue to work with our communities to protect them from harm.
"We have commenced an attempted murder investigation which will be led by our Terrorism Investigation Unit and I would appeal to anyone who may have seen the hijacked vehicle in the Twinbrook area before 11pm to contact us.
"I would like to take this opportunity appeal to anyone with any information on last night’s hijacking and bomb attack to make contact with our incident room via our 101 quoting reference number 1682 25/04/26.”
You can also submit a report or information online using the non-emergency reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org/
Cordons remain in place at the scene and members of the public have been advised to avoid the area.
Road users are advised that Kingsway is closed between Dunmurry Lane and Blacks Road.
Lagan Valley Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood has described the incident as “deeply concerning”.
"It is distressing and disturbing to wake up to the news that a car bomb exploded outside Dunmurry police station last night,” she posted on social media.
"I know people in Lisburn heard the blast and some were out socialising nearby.
"A busy area, a car bomb left outside residential housing, small businesses and any number of people out and about on a Saturday night working or socialising.
"It is only through the grace of God that there are no casualties. I'm really grateful to the first responders, PSNI & Army Technical Officers as well as other emergency services who attended the scene.
"It is deeply concerning that this comes just weeks after a similar attack just past the other end of Lagan Valley in Lurgan.
"We cannot be complacent in taking peace for granted. But we must fight like hell against those who try to bring this violence back.
"Those who are engaged in these attacks are not representative of the community and are not wanted.
"The good and decent people of Northern Ireland, from right across all communities, rejected the bomb and the bullet in the past and will do so again. We are stronger than you and any evil you may seek to wreak across our community. You will never win.”
Belfast West Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey said: “Those involved represent no one, are void of support and have nothing to offer our society.
"They should get off the backs of our communities who want to live in peace and continue moving forward to a better future.
"What is clear is that the overwhelming majority of the public rejects these ridiculous actions and understands they achieve nothing but disruption.”
Just weeks ago an improvised explosive device that police described as “crude but viable” was at the centre of an attempted attack on Lurgan police station.
A hot food delivery driver was forced at gunpoint to take the device to the town centre police station in an incident blamed on dissident republicans.