THE PSNI IS investigating a claim that dissident republican group Arm na Poblachta was responsible for a viable bomb being left outside a police station in Derry.
On Sunday, 20 November, a man was forced at gunpoint to drive to a police station in Derry city by a number of armed men who forced the driver to abandon his Ford Mondeo.
The man, who was a delivery driver, told the police that the men had put a “device” in the rear of the car.
This led to a major security alert, causing locals to be evacuated to spend the night at a nearby community centre.
Several roads were also cordoned off the next day and a hospital and primary school were closed for safety reasons.
The PSNI initially said it was “an elaborate hoax”, but later confirmed that it was a “viable explosive device”.
Last Thursday, a 54-year-old man was arrested in relation to the incident. He was released on Friday following questioning.
The incident came just days after police said they believed the New IRA could be responsible for an incident in which two officers escaped injury when their car was targeted in a bomb attack in Strabane, Co Tyrone.
Today, Detective Chief Inspector Logue said that detectives from the Terrorism Investigation Unit “are investigating a claim of responsibility that Arm na Poblachta (ANP) was responsible for a vehicle hijacking and subsequent security alert” in the Waterside area of Derry on 20 November.
“We are keeping an open mind and the investigation continues,” Logue said.
Anyone with information about the incident in Derry is asked to contact police on 101.
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