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The outer security gate at Lurgan police station was left wide open due to a broken motor for weeks before a proxy bomb was driven through it, the Irish News can reveal.
The electronically operated blast-proof gate at the Co Armagh station had been left open due to a faulty gearbox in the fortnight leading up to last Monday night’s attempted bombing.
The incident saw a terrified fast-food delivery driver forced at gunpoint to drive an explosive device into the station compound past an empty security post and the open gate.
However, police have insisted there was “categorically no breach of security” during the incident, saying the car entered a sterile area between the outer and inner gates where the driver was prevented from accessing the main station complex as “the security protocols were designed to do”.
Replacement parts had been ordered but the gate was left open in the meantime, as closing it manually was not considered practical.
As of Thursday evening, a replacement part had still not arrived, with police saying it would be a matter of days before repairs could be completed on the gate.
The attack occurred at approximately 10.30pm last Monday when a fast-food delivery driver was hijacked by two masked men, one armed with a pistol, in the Kilwilkie estate in the town.
A device was placed in the boot of a white Audi A4 and the driver was ordered to take the car to the nearby police station or he would be killed.
After driving into the station compound, the driver escaped from the vehicle and ran to security staff to warn them there was a bomb in the car.
A major security operation was launched, with around 100 homes evacuated.
Army technical officers later carried out a controlled explosion, confirming the device was crude but viable.
Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson, speaking at the station on Tuesday, said: “This was a reckless and cowardly attack. Our investigation is in its early stages but, at this stage, we believe it’s highly likely that dissident republican groups are responsible.
“As unsophisticated as it was, it posed a significant risk to the life of the terrified delivery driver, our security staff and the local community.”
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, appearing before the Policing Board on Thursday, said the attack was “a timely reminder” of the terrorist threat level in Northern Ireland.
“This is likely to have been a sad attempt to appear relevant ahead of planned dissident republican parades over Easter,” he said.
A PSNI spokesperson said: “There was categorically no ‘breach’ of security at Lurgan Station. As outlined by Assistant Chief Constable Henderson at Tuesday’s media facility, the car entered the sterile area between the outer gate and the inner gate where the driver was prevented from entering the station complex as the security protocols were designed to do.
“The outer gate has experienced sporadic problems over the past two weeks due to a faulty gearbox. This had absolutely no bearing on Monday evening’s incident. A replacement part is due to be installed in the next few days.”
