Police Granted 36-Hour Extension to Question 66-Year-Old Man Over Dunmurry Attack
Detectives have been granted a 36-hour extension to question a 66-year-old man arrested under the Terrorism Act following an attack on Dunmurry Police Station. The New IRA claimed responsibility for the Saturday incident, which involved a hijacked delivery driver and a car bomb, with no injuries reported. Police patrols are being increased across Northern Ireland in response to the dissident threat.
Detectives investigating the recent attack on Dunmurry Police Station, located near Belfast, have secured an additional 36 hours from the courts to continue questioning a 66-year-old man. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed the development.
The man was apprehended on Tuesday under the Terrorism Act and subsequently transported to the Musgrave Serious Crime Suite for interrogation. The arrest follows an incident on Saturday where a male delivery driver was hijacked in the Twinbrook area of west Belfast. A device was placed inside his vehicle, and he was instructed to drive to Dunmurry police station. The car detonated outside the station as an evacuation was underway, though fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The New IRA, a dissident paramilitary group, claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack in a statement issued to The Irish News. The group also declared its intent to target the residences of PSNI officers and issued threats against anyone providing information to the PSNI. In response to the escalating threat, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck announced on Tuesday that police patrols and checkpoints would be increased across Northern Ireland to counteract the ongoing dissident threat, initiating a high-visibility policing operation.