CIRA admit Armagh alert
The Continuity IRA has claimed it left a car bomb outside a police station in Newtownhamilton, County Armagh.
A call was made to UTV newsroom from someone claiming to be from the organisation.
Up to 60 homes have been evacuated as police investigate.
Officers received reports of a suspicious object in a silver coloured Peugeot outside the station in the Shambles Lane area around 2am on Tuesday.
The army bomb squad are at the scene.
Local residents evacuated from their houses are taking shelter in nearby Newton Primary school.
The village has been closed to traffic and diversions are in place.
Dissident Republicans are being blamed.
It’s the second attack on police in two days.
On Monday the Real IRA said they were responsible for a car bomb which exploded outside MI5 headquarters at Palace Barracks in Co Down.
Dominic Bradley the SDLP MLA for the area said locals made him aware of the alert.
“Residents told me they were aware of a suspect device in a vehicle at the gates of the station and that they were being evacuated.”
“We are not certain yet if this is a viable device but it would seem to have similar hallmarks of previous attacks at Newry court house and at Palace Barracks”, he added.
Ulster Unionist MLA for the area Danny Kennedy said
“I think there will be concern dissident groups are able to operate from such a wide range, from Holywood in Co Down to Newtownhamilton in South Armagh”, Ulster Unionist MLA for the area Danny Kennedy said.
“I think that level of threat is very serious and therefore there has to be a security response to deal with it” he added.
