Strabane mortar bomb ‘callous attempt to kill police’

A mortar bomb left near a police station in County Tyrone was a “callous attempt to kill or maim” officers, the PSNI chief constable has said.

The device was found by a resident on a wall near houses in Church View, Strabane, at 8:30 BST on Saturday.

A 33-year-old man has been arrested under terrorism legislation.

BBC News NI home affairs correspondent Julian O’Neill said: “The PSNI strongly suspects dissident republicans were behind the attempt to kill officers.”

PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne tweeted it was a “stark reminder” of why the Police Service of Northern Ireland needed “7,500 officers to grow our presence in communities to deal with this severe threat”.