Distretto Nord

Nella notte una bomba esplode a Derry. Condannati i repubblicani

Dissident republicans blamed for Londonderry car bomb

Dissident republicans are being blamed for a car bomb attack in Londonderry.

Derry - Scoppio presso Ulster BankThe bomb was left close to the Ulster Bank and a row of shops in front of Da Vinci’s hotel on the Culmore Road on Monday night.

It exploded shortly after midnight – about an hour after the warning was given. Dozens of homes were evacuated in the alert. No-one was injured.

However, the bank and several shops were damaged.

There has been severe traffic disruption to traffic in Derry City Centre, Pennyburn Roundabout and the Waterside on Tuesday morning as a result of the bomb.

The following roads are closed: Culmore Road from Culmore Roundabout to Pennyburn Roundabout; Strand Road between Pennyburn Roundabout and Duncreggan Road and Buncrana Road between Pennyburn Roundabout and Pennyburn Pass.

They are likely to remain closed until the early evening.

Throughout the night, army bomb experts examined the wreckage of the Vauxhall Corsa car that contained the bomb.

The area had been cleared when the bomb exploded, but the blast was so strong that a police officer who was standing close to the cordon was knocked off his feet.

Masonry and glass from smashed windows were strewn across the Culmore Road.

The bank is badly damaged. It is not the first time that it has been targeted.

Last year, the Real IRA said it was responsible for sending bullets to relatives of police officers working in the branch.

Secretary of State Owen Paterson said the government would “not allow these people to achieve their aim”.

He said the authorities would tackle those responsible and would “smoke them out” and “bear down on them”.

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fein, said he condemned “the futile activities of these conflict junkies”.

Speaking from Birmingham, where he is attending the Conservative Party Conference, he said: “The objectives of these people are to destroy the peace process; to break the unity of the Executive; to turn back the clock on policing and to embarrass Sinn Fein.

“On all four counts they have been failing miserably.”

DUP MP Gregory Campbell said the bomb would cause “massive inconvenience” to schools, work and tourists.

“There is unanimous support across the political divide for condemnation of this,” he said.

“We need information from local people, translated into evidence before a court and a conviction.

“Let’s get beyond condemnation and get these people behind bars.”

Esplosione a DerryMayor of Derry Colm Eastwood was at the scene when the device exploded.

“I saw the bomb go off. We were not far away,” he said.

“It is just shocking that someone would put a bomb anywhere, but especially at a commercial centre.

“I do not know what these people are hoping to achieve. They say they love their country but they spend their time trying to destroy it. The people of this city will be very angry.”

Businessman Garvan O’Doherty, the owner of Da Vinci’s Hotel, said the focus should remain on peace.

“The vast majority are focused on the partnership approach to peace. This will not detract those of us who want a stable society,” he said.

He said young people who followed the bombers would “pay a high price in the future”.

Mr O’Doherty said the way forward was for the peace process to continue.

The area around the explosion remains sealed off and police warned there would be traffic delays as a result.

In August, a car containing 200lb of explosives went off outside Strand Road police station in the city, causing substantial damage.

Two men hijacked a taxi in the Bogside, loaded the bomb into the driver’s car and ordered him at gunpoint to leave it at the station.

Dissident republicans were blamed for that attack.

North Down Conservative councillor Ian Parsley said the attack was disgraceful.

“The Secretary of State’s first priority is, rightly, Northern Ireland’s security. Despite his ongoing desire for national politics in Northern Ireland, our security takes precedence at this time,” he said.

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René Querin

Di professione grafico e web designer, sono appassionato di trekking e innamorato dell'Irlanda e della sua storia. Insieme ad Andrea Varacalli ho creato e gestisco Les Enfants Terribles.

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