Police investigating Derry car bomb recover suspected firearm

Police investigating last Saturday's car bomb explosion in Derry have recovered a suspected firearm.

It was located following searches in the Brandywell area of the city.

A security operation was launched and British Army technical officers attended the scene on Wednesday to allow police forensic officers to recover what they believe to be a firearm.

“The suspected firearm will, however, need to be examined further before we can confirm its capabilities,” the police said.

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No residents were evacuated during the operation and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) thanked local residents for their co-operation.

A pizza delivery vehicle was hijacked in the Brandywell area on Saturday and a bomb was placed inside. The car was then abandoned outside the city’s courthouse on Bishop Street before it exploded. The blast came shortly after a group of young people were seen walking past the vehicle.

Nobody was injured and minor damage was caused to the pavement and security bollards, but part of the road was closed for several days.

The PSNI said its main line of inquiry is that a dissident republican group named ‘the New IRA’ was responsible.

On Monday three further hijackings prompted further security alerts in the city. The PSNI said it believed it was an attempt to disrupt the investigation into the bomb attack, over which five men people have been arrested and released without charge.