PSNI officers 'very lucky' to survive Strabane bombing

Police officers were very lucky not to have been killed in a suspected republican dissident bomb attack in a County Tyrone town overnight, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has said.

The bomb blast occurred in Strabane, 12 miles from Derry, just hours after mainstream republicans carried Martin McGuinness’ coffin through the Bogside area of Derry.

An explosive device believed to have been a “substantial” bomb went off at about 8.30pm on Tuesday in Townsend Street.

It was detonated just as officers were patrolling the area, the PSNI said.

“We are incredibly lucky that the lives of officers and other members of the community were not lost last night,” said Supt Gordon McCalmont.

“We appreciate the understanding and patience of local residents while we carry out our inquiries and would appeal for anyone with information about suspicious activity in the area to contact us.”

Daniel McCrossan, a local nationalist councillor for the Social Democratic and Labour party, said he had been told the bomb was a “substantial device” and condemned those responsible for placing it in a residential area.

McCrossan said: “Such attacks on the PSNI have no place in a modern progressive society. Strabane has come a long way over recent years and the people want no return of the past.”

Karina Carlin, a Sinn Féin councillor, said she had heard a loud bang when the device exploded. She added: “The police were trying to get residents out of their homes last night, but I urged them not to because there wasn’t going to be any meaningful searching until this morning.”

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland, which represents rank and file officers in the region, said the bombing was a “reckless and mindless attack”.

This is the third attempt to murder police officers by dissident republicans since the start of this year.

Last month the New IRA placed a bomb under a car in the Culmore area of Derry. Their intended target was believed to have been a member of the PSNI living in the district.

In January a New IRA sniper wounded a PSNI officer during a gun attack on a police patrol at a garage forecourt in north Belfast. The officer sustained injuries to his arm but survived the shooting. In the same month the PSNI discovered a bomb in west Belfast after searches in the Poleglass area.

It is likely that the New IRA, which has a small but active base in the Derry-Strabane area, was behind Tuesday night’s explosion.