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Bridge van attack 'was reckless' | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
Hijackers who forced a driver to abandon his van on a Londonderry bridge put lives at risk and cost time and money, a senior police officer said. | |
Chief Superintendent Stephen Martin said the gang put objects into the van and forced the driver to abandon it on the lower deck of Craigavon Bridge. | |
It remains closed following a controlled explosion at the scene. | |
"This is an attack on the whole community, putting lives at risk," Chief Superintendent Martin said. | |
"The circumstances are extremely challenging in this instance, not least because of the location of the van. | |
"In addition to ensuring the safety of the community, police and army technical officers, we are doing our utmost to protect the integrity of the bridge." | |
Jim Roddy, manager of the City Centre Initiative, said the alert which happened on Friday evening but which meant the bridge was closed for most of Saturday, had a "devastating impact" on traders. | |
"Whoever has done this is no friend of the city. The only people they are harming is the people of the city," he said. | "Whoever has done this is no friend of the city. The only people they are harming is the people of the city," he said. |
Meanwhile, a security alert in Strabane has ended. The army found a "viable device" at the town's police station. | |
A security alert at Strabane police station has ended | |
The roads around the Agharan crossroad on the main Dungannon to Cookstown Road have also reopened after a suspicious object was declared a hoax. | |
A series of security alerts on Friday caused traffic disruption across NI. | A series of security alerts on Friday caused traffic disruption across NI. |
An alert in Donegall Lane in Belfast city centre was a deliberate hoax, while alerts at the Cityside retail complex in north Belfast and at Central Station ended on Friday evening. | An alert in Donegall Lane in Belfast city centre was a deliberate hoax, while alerts at the Cityside retail complex in north Belfast and at Central Station ended on Friday evening. |
Army bomb experts called to the scenes found nothing suspicious. | Army bomb experts called to the scenes found nothing suspicious. |