04/03/2013

Four Mortar Bombs Found In Van

Police have intercepted an attack believed to be planned against an L'Derry Police station.

Four live mortar bombs were found by officers in a van with its roof cut back to allow them to be fired.

Over 100 families had to leave their homes at Letterkenny Road in the overnight alert.

Three men in their 30s have been arrested.

Chief Superintendent Stephen Cargin said the mortars were "primed and ready to go".

"These were people who were mindless, totally reckless, willing to drive four live mortar bombs through a built-up area with no regard to the people, the residents and the families living in the area.

"We believe those devices were destined for one of the police stations here in the city.

"I have no doubt they would have caused mass fatalities. They were on their way to a target. These are crude home-made devices. There is no way the people who planned their attack would have known they would have hit their target."

SDLP MLA Pat Ramsey said: "It is a main cross-border route, one can presume it (the van) was coming from the border. It caused serious disruption for people in the Brandywell.

"Older people and very disabled people have had to be moved from their homes. There was a lady, a double amputee and two disabled people who needed the assistance of an ambulance to get them out.

"This is the distress that the dissidents are causing to their own people in their own communities."

(GK)


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