A Newry furgone con 230 kg di esplosivo
500lb bomb found in Newry van
The 500lb “sophisticated” bomb found in a wheelie bin inside a van near Newry, Co Down, could have been destined for a town centre in Northern Ireland, police have said.
Several controlled explosions were carried out on the vehicle, which was abandoned in an underpass on the A1 Belfast-Dublin road.
E District Commander, Chief Superintendent Alasdair Robinson said the bomb was “sophisticated” and could have caused “huge devastation and loss of life”.
He said the device was being transported northwards along the carriageway to another location but police activity foiled the plot.
Two warnings were given, one to a local hospital and another to charity, but Mr Robinson said neither were sufficient.
“Both warnings were inadequate and vague,” he explained. “The calls lasted nine seconds and gave a 45 minute warning, which was wholly unrealistic given the vagueness of directions and where the exactly the van had been left.”
He said a town centre in Northern Ireland could have been the target of the attack, adding: “We will not speculate about the possible destination of the vehicle however we are confident that police disrupted this activity.”
The van was stolen in Maynooth in January and had false Donegal registration plates. Police are not prepared to say which dissident group responsible.
Brian Rea of the Policing Board said: “This pure purpose of this bomb was to cause death and destruction.
“The public and political revulsion at the murder of Constable Kerr clearly shows that the people of Northern Ireland do not want any more devastation inflicted on our community and our police service.”
The bomb is bigger than the device which exploded at Newry Courthouse in February last year.
The front of the building and surrounding properties were extensively damaged when a car bomb planted by dissident republicans exploded.
The alert, which began on Thursday night, caused disruption to thousands of motorists after the dual carriageway was closed in both directions.
The security operation was sparked after two bomb warnings were made to a local charity and hospital.
Cordon signs and diversions were put in place once the van was discovered – but motorists ignored the warnings and traffic passed by the suspicious vehicle on the A1 on Friday morning.
The A1 has now been re-opened.