'Same activity led to Omagh bomb'-Chief Constable

The top police man was speaking in Londonderry on Monday, almost a week after a 200lb republican car bomb exploded outside the city’s main police station causing severe damage to businesses in the area.

Matt Baggott held a meeting with Londonderry Mayor, Colum Eastwood and gave a press conference outside the Guildhall afterwards.

He said that those engaged in dissident attacks “are the same people, or the same mindset that ultimately led to the Omagh tragedy.”

No-one was injured in the car bomb attack at Strand Road which detonated at approximately 3.20am last Tuesday morning.

An organisation calling itself Oglaigh na hEireann claimed responsibility for the bombing which came after a taxi man was hi jacked close to the Bogside and forced to leave the bomb outside the station. A 45 minute warning was issued by the attackers but the device detonated after just 23 minutes whilst police officers were still evacuating the district.

In londonderry on monday Chief Constable Matt Baggott said the attackers were becoming increasingly “reckless.”

“They have no solution for the future, only to go back to the past. And they are bringing recklessness to our streets. We need the public to fully support us and don’t allow these people to do what they want to do.

“They are dangerous. We need to be realistic about them and keep them firmly on the backfoot.”

On Saturday past a bomb was located under the car of a Catholic police officer in County Down. Last Wednesday, a booby-trap bomb fell from the underside of a car belonging to an army major in Bangor.