Dissident Republicans have developed a new and highly dangerous under-car bomb, police in Northern Ireland have warned.
The device, which involves a pressure plate designed to detonate when a car drives over it, was used to target an off-duty officer in Londonderry in February – but it did not detonate.
A similar device was found in the Ballyarnett area of Derry in October 2014, police say.
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) detective superintendent John McVea said the method of detonation, while not sophisticated, was “very effective”.
“The New IRA have access to high explosives – which is concerning,” he said.
The bomb itself consists of a box of explosives wrapped in tape and placed under a car. The pressure plate detonator is activated when a car wheel drives over it.
In the past, dissident Republicans have used magnetic under-car bombs, but that has become difficult because modern cars use plastic, Mr McVea said.
Police are on high alert for more attacks from the New IRA, which is opposed to the peace process and was formed in 2012.
The group, which gathers several dissident republican organisations, is believed to be the largest of its kind and has been linked to a number of attacks on police.
Mr McVea said that in the February incident the plate detonator used to target the vehicle had failed to explode.
It was discovered hours later on the driveway of the officer’s home and exploded while it was being examined.
The other known case in which the method was used was in Ballyarnett village in 2014 when a pressure plate was left under a mat with the intention of luring officers to stand on it.
Source: Sky News