Bombers' suspected getaway car removed after being burned out

A suspected getaway car used by dissident republican bombers disappeared after being left for two days without police examination, officers admitted today.

The burned-out vehicle was abandoned in Drumintee, south Armagh, after a car bomb attack on nearby Newry courthouse last month.

But while the Police Service of Northern Ireland received reports of the burning car 20 minutes after the blast in Newry, 48 hours later it was removed from the site without their knowledge by unknown persons.

If the car was the vehicle used by the bombers, it could have held vital forensic clues as to their identity.

No one was injured in the 250lb Newry bomb, but the court building was badly damaged.

The police explained that they had not initially approached the car in case it was a booby trap.

“Police received a report of a vehicle on fire in the area of Drumintee just before 11pm on Monday February 22,” said a PSNI spokeswoman.

“During Tuesday, officers made inquiries to establish if the vehicle was linked to the bomb attack at Newry courthouse. However, due to concerns that the vehicle may have been a lure to attack police, officers were unable to respond as fully or as quickly as they would have wished.

“On Wednesday morning police learned that the vehicle had been removed.

“The PSNI is committed to investigating the courthouse bomb attack but it has an over-riding responsibility to protect and preserve life. This applies as much to police officers and staff as to everyone else in the community.”

She said enquiries into the whereabouts of the vehicle were ongoing and urged anyone with information to come forward.

The revelation prompted an angry response from the leader of the hardline Traditional Unionist Voice party, Jim Allister.

Mr Allister asked why the car was not kept under observation even if officers were not able to approach it.

“The fact that it could be removed is not just embarrassing but a telling indication of who really controls South Armagh, evidently, not the PSNI,” he said.