Car bomb explodes outside Belfast police station

A car bomb exploded outside a police station in Dunmurry, south Belfast, after a delivery vehicle was hijacked and the driver was forced to drive the vehicle to the scene.

The attack is the latest in a series of sporadic attempts by militant groups to continue targeting police officers decades after a peace deal largely ended sectarian violence in the region.

Police in Northern Ireland said the car was hijacked in the Twinbrook area of ​​west Belfast late on Saturday and a gas cylinder device was placed in the boot.

Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton told a news conference on Sunday that the man was ordered to drive the vehicle to Dunmurry police station.

After the vehicle was abandoned in front of the station, the police raised the alarm and evacuated nearby houses.

“Several residents, including two babies, were being escorted to safety by officers when the device exploded, engulfing the vehicle in flames and sending debris flying in every direction,” Singleton said. he said.

No one was injured in the explosion, which police described as “nothing short of a miracle” given the circumstances.

Singleton described the attack as “senseless and reckless” and said the delivery driver was extremely traumatized.

Britain’s regional minister, Hilary Benn, condemned the attack, calling it “shameless and cowardly”.

Police said that the evacuation operation was continuing in the area and some residents were unable to return to their homes.