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Reward of £20k offered for police station bomb information

Luke SprouleBBC News NI
News imagePacemaker An officer in a forensic suit observes the aftermath of an explosion outside a police station. The wreckage of a car is shown, it has sustained significant fire damage. There is a police station in the background and a row of houses on the opposite side of the street. Debris is strewn across the entrance to the streetPacemaker
A car was hijacked before being blown up outside the police station

A reward of up to £20,000 has been offered for information about an attack on Dunmurry Police Station.

A delivery driver's car was hijacked, fitted with a gas cylinder device and he was forced to drive it to the police station on the outskirts of Belfast on Saturday 25 April.

One man has been charged with attempted murder.

Police said the reward for information was being offered by the independent charity Crimestoppers.

Police returned to the scene on Saturday and set up checkpoints on surrounding roads.

Det Insp Campbell from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's terorrism investigation unit said the attack was "cowardly and senseless" and could have killed innocent people.

"I'm asking you to think, for just one minute, of the utter devastation that could have resulted," he said.

"I'm asking you to do the right thing. If you have any information, no matter how insignificant it might seem, please speak to us."

News imageA map of the Dunmurry area taken from overhead, showing the location of the police station and otehr nearby streets.

Police previously said they believed the attack may have been carried out by the dissident republican group known as the New IRA.

The attack took place in a built-up area, close to family homes in which many children were in bed asleep.

Several residents, including two babies, were taken to safety by officers when the bomb exploded.

Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said no one was injured or killed thanks to the swift action taken by officers.

Kieran Smyth, from Beechmount Avenue in Belfast, has been charged with attempted murder and causing an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury.

The 66-year-old appeared before Lisburn Magistrates' Court on 2 May when his defence solicitor argued that there was insufficient evidence at this time to link him to most of the charges.

No bail application was made and he was remanded into custody to appear again on 18 May.

The attack in Dunmurry came just weeks after a similar incident at Lurgan police station.

A controlled explosion was carried out on the bomb in that attack.