Explosive device that detonated outside police station 'was sent to kill officers'

An explosive device that detonated inside a hijacked car, parked next to a police station in Dunmurry, "was sent to kill officers" according to the chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the attack in Dunmurry, southwest of Belfast city centre, at around 10.50pm on Saturday, is being treated as attempted murder and the investigation will be led by counter-terrorism police. Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said in a statement: "A delivery driver's car was hijacked in the Twinbrook area of west Belfast and a gas cylinder device was placed in the boot of the vehicle. The man was ordered to drive it to Dunmurry police station." He added the vehicle was abandoned outside the front of the station and officers "immediately and courageously ran into danger, placing themselves in harm's way" and evacuated nearby homes. He continued: "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. "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." Brendan Mullan, chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, said in a statement that the device "was sent to kill officers and cause maximum harm". Images circulating on the social media accounts of local media and politicians show what appears to be a vehicle engulfed by flames next to the police station. Forensic officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) were examining the wreckage of a burnt-out vehicle on Sunday morning beside the station in the Kingsway area of Dunmurry. Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill said those behind the attack "speak for absolutely no one". She posted on social media: "They have no vision, no support, and have nothing to offer our society. Our communities deserve peace." DUP leader Gavin Robinson described the reports as "deeply concerning". He added: "If this was another attempt by dissident republicans to intimidate communities and target the police, then it must be met with the full force of the law." Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn also said he was "appalled" by the incident, calling it a "shameless and cowardly attack".