Bomb uncovered on South Armagh road

Police in the North today confirmed a bomb was uncovered in the border region of South Armagh after a failed plot to kill officers.

Security forces have been examining a suspicious device in Keady since Tuesday morning, following an attempt to lure police into an ambush.

Six houses were evacuated in the Castleblaney Road area after a beer keg with wires attached to it was found by a member of the public.

Dissident republicans opposed to the peace process are being blamed for the murder bid, which comes after a mortar device was abandoned near the police station in Keady in February.

But area commander Chief Inspector Ken Mawhinney said it was now believed the device had been hidden in a laneway since Saturday evening and could have claimed the lives of people passing the scene.

He added: “Let me be clear from the outset and absolutely condemn this incident.

“This device was designed for one thing and one thing only – to kill or cause serious injury to police officers.

“The people responsible for planting this device and leaving it on this public road exposed to members of the local community for almost 48 hours showed absolutely no regard for human life.

“They do not care who they hurt and simply want to drag people back to the dark days of the past.”

Mr Mawhinney confirmed the suspicious object was a viable device and while he could not detail the weight of the explosives, he indicated it was substantial.

He added: “These criminals have no role to play in this community and have absolutely no support from the ordinary decent people living here in Northern Ireland.

“Despite the ongoing dissident threat, officers commit themselves daily to working in the community to provide them with the level of policing and support they deserve and we would ask everyone to work together to achieve this.

“We will continue to take a robust stance against all dissident republican terrorist activity. We are confident that every right minded member of society will continue to work with us and to give us the information we need to put these people out of business once and for all and in doing so, make Northern Ireland a safer place.”

Police are investigating whether a fire started in Keady at around midnight on Sunday was an attempt to lure officers into an ambush.

Firefighters put out the blaze, caused after fencing was set alight, but police did not accompany the fire crews.

A warning was later issued that a bomb had been left in the area, prompting a security alert and the subsequent discovery of the device.

Mr Mawhinney added: “We now believe that this device has been at this location since Saturday evening.

“We initially received a call at 12.30am during the early hours of Sunday morning from a member of the public who said a section of fencing had been set alight in a field near his home. It was dealt with by the fire and rescue service, however we believe that the fire may have been started maliciously in an effort to lure police into the area.

“We then received information about a call made to a local business premises in Keady on Monday evening to state that a device had been left near a border area. We began investigating, however due to the non specific detail of the location, we did not find anything suspicious.

“A report was then received on Tuesday morning that a local farmer had located a suspect device.

“The area was immediately cordoned off on both sides of the border and nearby homes evacuated.”

He said army bomb experts were eventually able to disable the bomb.

“This device has caused untold disruption to the local community. Six families had to be evacuated and have been out of their homes since Tuesday and it is those people who have been most affected by this. We expect them to return to their homes shortly and would like to thank them for their ongoing patience and support. I have nothing but praise for their cooperation,” he said.

Detectives want to speak to anyone who was in the area since Saturday and who witnessed any suspicious activity.

Ulster Unionist representative Danny Kennedy condemned those behind the murder bid.

He said: “The actions of these individuals is sickening, despicable and unforgivable.

“I am only thankful that their blatant, cowardly and murderous actions were unsuccessful in this instance. It is a worry and a sinister development that these republicans are using these tactics.

“To attempt to lure police officers to a bomb is shocking.”

He added: “Six families were also inconvenienced – do those responsible even care that some of these families could have been seriously injured?”