Breaking IRA Connection Alleged to North Sea Bomb Explosion

(SeaPRwire) –   An explosion outside a police station near Belfast has been attributed to the dissident republican splinter group and is being investigated as “attempted murder”

Northern Ireland police have thwarted a suspected car bomb attack, evacuating residents just before an explosion occurred outside a station in Dunmurry, southwest of Belfast. Authorities believe the New Irish Republican Army (New IRA), a dissident republican splinter group, was responsible for the explosion.

The event took place late Saturday, when a hijacked vehicle containing a gas cylinder device was left outside the station. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton stated that the assailants compelled a delivery driver to take the car to the location and leave it. Police officers noticed the vehicle, considered it suspicious, sounded the alarm, and hurried to evacuate adjacent residences.

“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,” he said, describing it as a “cowardly attack.”

There were no injuries reported, which police described as “nothing short of miraculous,” although the blast resulted in substantial damage. The case is being handled as “attempted murder,” and a counterterrorism unit is heading the inquiry.

Singleton indicated that the “early working hypothesis” implicates the New IRA, observing parallels with an unsuccessful attack last month in Lurgan, approximately 30km southwest of Belfast. In that incident, a delivery driver was forced at gunpoint to carry an explosive device that failed to detonate. The group subsequently claimed responsibility for that attempt.

The New IRA is classified as a terrorist organization in the UK and is regarded as the most active dissident republican group in Northern Ireland. Established in 2012 from factions that rejected the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, its objective is to end British rule and create a united Ireland through armed conflict.

When questioned if the terror threat level in Northern Ireland – currently set at “substantial” – should be reevaluated after Saturday’s event, Singleton avoided a direct response but stated the attack “reminds us of the murderous intent and capability” of militant organizations, emphasizing the necessity for continued vigilance.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack, vowing on X that “those responsible will be brought to justice.”

His administration has upheld a zero-tolerance policy towards the New IRA and intensified actions to restrict its funding, such as asset-freezing orders aimed at suspected money laundering activities. Last month, Starmer and Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin concurred on forming a joint task force to surveil dissident groups and cross-border crime.