Northern Ireland police defuse van bomb

2011-04-10 03:50:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

BELFAST (BNO NEWS) -- Police in Northern Ireland confirmed on Saturday that a bomb that could have been destined for an attack on a town centre was defused on Friday, the Irish Times reported.

The bomb was packed into a bin with 500lbs (227 kg) of homemade explosives located in a van found at a section of the main road between Belfast and Dublin, near Newry. Detectives believe the vehicle was abandoned because of the presence 
of a police checkpoint.

"Had it exploded it would have caused huge devastation or loss of life," Chief Superintendent Alasdair Robinson told journalists.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bomb, but police blamed dissident Republicans, who remain violently opposed to the peace process.

 Politicians said the bomb could have caused a massacre on the scale of the 1998 Omagh attack where an 800lb car bomb killed 29 people.



The incident comes after the murder of constable Ronan Kerr, who was killed with a booby-trap bomb outside his home last week. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but officials also blamed dissident Republicans.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-04-10

I think the title is misleading. It is the Army EOD Team of the RLC ( Royal Logistic Corps) who defuse terrorist bombs in Northern Ireland and not the PSNI (Police Service Northern Ireland)

I think the title is misleading. It is the Army EOD Team of the RLC ( Royal Logistic Corps) who defuse terrorist bombs in Northern Ireland and not the PSNI (Police Service Northern Ireland)