Four Questioned In Car Bomb Probe

The attempted murder of a police officer this week has now led to the arrest of four men.

Police investigating the booby-trap bomb attack on the off-duty officer on Monday night made the arrests.

Detectives said the men were detained at a number of locations around County Tyrone on Thursday morning and they are currently being questioned at the secure facilty at Antrim police station.

The NI Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has already called those who carried out the attack "idiots" and has visited the Catholic officer in hospital to hear at first hand about how he sustained back and leg injuries during the attack - which took place in the village of Spamount as he made his way to work in County Fermanagh.

Meanwhile, the PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde has praised the members of the public who dragged the injured officer from the vehicle just before it burst into flames.

The victim was pulled from the wreckage by a passer-by and treated at the scene by a nurse before being taken to hospital.

Meanwhile, MLAs have used a new Northern Ireland Assembly mechanism for the first time to condemn the attack.

Time was set aside at the start of Assembly business in reaction to the explosion.

Junior Minister Gerry Kelly said incidents like the attempted murder in Spamount were being carried out by tiny dangerous groups.

The North Belfast Sinn Fein MLA said: "Let us be clear they have no support in the community whatsoever."

Sinn Fein Chairman of Strabane District Council Gerard Foley said republican dissidents are active in the area.

He said: "I would just ask the dissidents to think about what they're doing and not to believe for one minute it's the right way."

The Secretary of State, Shaun Woodward, also condemned the incident as a cowardly attack against a police officer who was serving the community.

See: Dublin Hoax Bombs Follow Tyrone Car Bomb

(BMcC)