Men arrested over attempted murder at officer’s home

Two people have been arrested in connection with a failed bomb attack at an officer’s home in February. Police Service of Northern Ireland detectives detained two men, aged 43 and 59, on suspicion of attempted murder on Thursday (September 28). The pair are believed to be connected to a viable bomb that was left under an officer’s car at his family home in Ardanlee. The attack has been linked with an attempted ambush in 2014 in which the New IRA tried to lure officers to a property in Ballyarnett Village. Both incidents involved the same kind of pressure plate devices designed to detonate once they are stepped on. Acting Detective Chief Inspector Peter McKenna said: “If this under vehicle improvised explosive device had exploded with our colleague and his young family in the car it would have had devastating consequences. “I believe the New IRA are responsible for this cowardly attack during which they put everyone’s safety at risk as the device was left in a residential area and could have exploded at any time.”