Political situation in Northern Ireland

Car bomb explodes at police station in Northern Ireland

A car bomb has exploded at a police station in Dunmurry outside Belfast in Northern Ireland.

Police Chief Brendan Mullan says in a statement that the bomb was intended to kill, reports the Irish Times.

– Those responsible showed a callous indifference to the people who live near the station and who could easily have been affected.

Several houses near the station had to be evacuated and the public has been urged to stay away from the area during the day. There are no reports of anyone being injured.

This is the second time in a short time that a police station in the country has been hit by an attack. At the end of March, some people forced a food delivery man to drive a bomb into the police station in the city of Lurgan, writes RTÉ.

Police terror unit launches investigation into attempted murder

The nighttime car bomb at a police station in Dunmurry outside Belfast is being investigated as attempted murder, Northern Ireland police said, according to Reuters. In a statement, the police said the agency's terror unit is in charge of the investigation.

Police suspect the vehicle was stolen on Saturday night and driven to the station, according to information provided to The Belfast Telegraph.

The motive behind the attack is still unclear and no one has been arrested. The newspaper writes that suspicions are likely to be directed at the paramilitary group New IRA, which last month admitted to an attempted attack on a police station in another city.

The police chief says the attackers aimed to kill.