Irish nationalist militants are believed to be responsible for hijacking a food delivery vehicle and placing an improvised explosive device inside it, which was then driven to a police station in Northern Ireland before being safely neutralized, police confirmed on Tuesday.
The delivery driver was forced at gunpoint by two masked men at approximately 22:30 local time on Monday to drive the vehicle to the police station in Lurgan, located about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Belfast. The driver managed to escape the vehicle and promptly alerted security personnel that the hijackers had left an object in the car’s boot.
Following the alert, over 100 nearby homes were evacuated as a controlled explosion was conducted to safely dispose of the device. Police Service of Northern Ireland Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson stated that the investigation is still in its early stages but it is highly probable that dissident republican groups are behind the incident.
He described the device as crude yet functional, emphasizing that despite its unsophisticated nature, it posed a serious threat to the delivery worker, security staff, and the local community. The incident underscores ongoing risks, as small splinter groups of nationalist militants continue to sporadically target police officers despite the 1998 peace agreement that largely ended three decades of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland.
The Troubles, a conflict involving nationalists seeking a united Ireland, pro-British unionists wanting Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom, and British forces, resulted in approximately 3,600 deaths. In response to the attack, Britain’s Northern Ireland minister Hillary Benn condemned the act as reckless and dangerous, stating there is no place for such violence in the region.
Political leaders across the spectrum also denounced the attack. Gavin Robinson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, described the use of a proxy bomb tactic—where militants coerce someone to transport an explosive device under threat—as a chilling reminder of the darkest days of the Troubles.
