Car bomb explodes outside Dunmurry police station as residents evacuated

A car bomb exploded outside a police station as residents were being evacuated from their homes in Dunmurry on Saturday evening, police have confirmed.

Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton described the attack as reckless.

He said a delivery driver was hijacked in the Twinbrook area shortly after 10.50pm.

A 'gas cylinder device' was placed in the vehicle and the driver was ordered to drive it to Dunmurry police station.

Speaking about the attack DCC Singleton said: “The vehicle was abandoned outside the front of the station and police personnel immediately activated the station’s Attack Alarm.

“Police officers immediately and courageously ran into danger, placing themselves in harm’s way, and evacuated nearby homes to protect the community.

“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.

“What this type of device may have lacked in terms of its sophistication and scale, it more than made up for in its reckless unpredictability.

“Thanks to the swift actions of police, no one has been injured, which is nothing short of miraculous.

“Our thoughts today are with all those affected by this cowardly attack, the delivery driver for whom this will have been an extremely traumatic experience, residents who are still unable to return to their homes, our courageous officers and of course their families, who will be grateful their loved ones are safe, but will undoubtedly have been left shaken by the ordeal."

Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey said: “Those involved represent no one, are void of support and have nothing to offer our society.

“They should get off the backs of our communities who want to live in peace and continue moving forward to a better future.

“What is clear is that the overwhelming majority of the public rejects these ridiculous actions and understands they achieve nothing but disruption.”

"Last night's car bomb in Dunmurry has caused a lot of confusion, uncertainty and fear in the area," People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said.

"At a time of the week when people are supposed to be resting and relaxing, there is panic and concern.

"Thankfully, nobody has been seriously injured but it could have been a different story altogether with this completely reckless action," he added.

DCC Singleton said: “I want to reassure our community that the Police Service of Northern Ireland will not be deterred or distracted by last night’s senseless and reckless attack.

"We’ve made great progress as a society and we won’t allow those who are intent on dragging us backward to succeed. Instead we’ll continue to work with our communities to protect them from harm.

“We have commenced an attempted murder investigation which will be led by our Terrorism Investigation Unit and I would appeal to anyone who may have seen the hijacked vehicle in the Twinbrook area before 11pm to contact us.

“I would like to take this opportunity appeal to anyone with any information on last night’s hijacking and bomb attack to make contact with our incident room via our 101 quoting reference number 1682 25/04/26.

“You can also submit a report or information online using the non-emergency reporting form via https://orlo.uk/XX5Wu, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org/.”

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