Man held after bomb found in NI border town

CO TYRONE: Police have confirmed that a bomb was found following a security alert in Northern Ireland.

The improvised explosive device (IED) was discovered by residents close to Strabane police station in Co Tyrone on Saturday morning. During the alert, in the highly residential and built-up Church View area of the border town, people were evacuated from their homes as Army bomb experts investigated.

A man was arrested under the Terrorism Act in the early hours of Sunday morning. Political representatives condemned the alert, in which pensioners forced were to leave their homes.Local Sinn Fein MP Orfhlaith Begley said: “This security alert in the Church View area of Strabane has brought nothing but disruption to the local community. People have had to leave their homes as a result of this security alert and have been severely inconvenienced. “Those behind this alert have nothing to offer the people of Strabane and have no support. These actions need to end immediately.”

SDLP West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan branded the alert a disgrace as it happened on Saturday. “There is no place for these criminals on the streets of our town. They need to get off our streets and get off the back of people living here. “Thanks to the residents who discovered the device and the actions of police, we aren’t dealing with a tragedy this morning. But those responsible must be flushed out of this community and they should face justice for their attempt to murder and maim our friends and neighbours.

“There is a duty on anyone who has any information about this to come forward to police as soon as possible. The people behind this will do it again, they will put the lives of people in our community at risk. We all have to take a stand and stop them.”