Baggott says dissidents in ‘bizarre’ competition

Dissident republican groups appear engaged in a "bizarre" competition with each other, the PSNI chief constable said yesterday, after a car bomb partly exploded in Belfast city centre.

As the city prepares for its busy Christmas shopping period, Matt Baggott said there had been a surge in dissident republican activity.

No one was injured in the bomb attack close to a police station and the new Victoria Square shopping complex. The detonator went off, but the main 60kg homemade bomb failed to explode.

The incident began at 9.30pm on Sunday when a Renault Laguna car was hijacked in Ardoyne in north Belfast.

A masked gang put the bomb in the vehicle and ordered a man to drive it to the city centre.

He abandoned the car close to Musgrave Street police station, the Victoria Square shopping area and the Laganside court complex. The man alerted police in the station, who called in the British army bomb disposal unit and started evacuating a nearby cinema and restaurants.

The detonator went off as the bomb squad was about to examine the car at 11.15pm on Sunday, but it did not cause the main device to explode.

The attack has stoked concern among city centre traders whose Christmas shopping period last year was damaged, and in some cases ruined, by flags protests arising from Belfast City Council’s decision to limit days the British union flag flies over city hall.

A big loyalist parade marking the first anniversary of that decision is planned for next Saturday in the city centre, exacerbating traders’ fears of more lost business. This incident has brought considerable pressure to bear on the parade organisers to ensure the event passes off peacefully.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the failed bomb attack. It is most likely, however, to be one of two groups, either the new grouping calling itself “the IRA” or another dissident organisation, Óglaigh na hÉireann.

Terrifying experience
Mr Baggott promised

more city centre police patrols to meet the renewed threat. “There has been a surge recently in dissident republican activity. We have seen letter bombs, under-car booby traps, blast bombs, hijackings,” he said.

“These groupings are trying to bring themselves to notice again. They seem to be in some form of bizarre competition to make sure that they have a profile.”

Assistant chief constable Drew Harris said it was a terrifying experience for the driver.

“He is driving along with a live device which, if it had detonated, even partially, would have caused him severe injury and even death,” he said. “A full explosion would have killed him outright.”

Mr Harris said the PSNI was asking people to be vigilant. There was a similar incident last week when a bus driver was ordered to drive a bomb to a police station in Derry.

The attack was widely deplored, with First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness leading the condemnation.