Newry device 'was very significant'

Meanwhile, a second bomb was found last night under a parked car in North Belfast.

Police are blaming dissident republican terrorists for the device found at a garage on the Ballygomartin Road.

Eighty families were evacuated and spent the night in a church hall while experts attended the scene.

The white Citroen Berlingo van was spotted by a member of the public on Thursday evening after it was abandoned on a border road outside Newry.

The security operation on the vehicle only ended late last night and District Commander Chief Superintendent Alasdair Robinson today said it could have caused major loss of life had it detonated.

“The device contained two blue barrels with 125kg of homemade explosives in each one, and a detonator – all the equipment which meant this device was ready to go,” he said.

“To explain it, there was 600lbs of explosives.

“This was a very significant device. If this had exploded it would have caused devastation.”

Police said overnight that they had discovered two bombs following separate security alerts in the North.

In addition to the discovery of the substantial device at the border, detectives found a smaller bomb under a car in the Ballygomartin area of north Belfast, which was also blamed on dissidents.

And in a third overnight security force operation, also in north Belfast, detectives investigating dissident republican activity found a number of guns and ammunition.

The border bomb was found in a white van on Thursday evening. Initial reports said the vehicle’s engine was still running, after it had apparently been abandoned.

The subsequent security operation lasted into Friday evening, and the scale of the device has only now emerged.

In Belfast, Chief Inspector Ian Campbell said houses had to be evacuated while the device found in the Ballygomartin area was made safe last night.

He said: “Those responsible for this have shown callous disregard for members of the public.

“The operation resulted in the evacuation of up to 80 people, including families with young children and elderly residents, for several hours.”

He added: “The finger of suspicion points towards dissident republican terrorists and I appeal to anyone with information to come forward to police.”

After separate police searches elsewhere in north Belfast last night uncovered an unspecified amount of guns and ammunition, the officer responsible for the area, Chief Superintendent George Clarke, said the operation had succeeded in combating activity by dissident groups.

“The actions of police have undoubtedly thwarted the attempts of criminals to inflict death, injury and misery on the community of north Belfast,” he said.

“Police are determined to protect communities from these threats.”

Mr Clarke appealed for the public’s continuing assistance in combating dissident activities.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Alliance Party condemned the bomb incidents.

Alliance North Belfast representative Billy Webb said: “I am sickened by the people who are out to murder and injure by leaving bombs on our streets. These people are offering nothing to our society.

“I call upon these dissident terrorists to stop their reckless actions. The public does not want this violence on our streets.

“If anybody has any information about these devices then I would urge them to contact the police.”