The lethal pipe bomb device found in Derry’s Westland Road on Thursday night
DETECTIVES are trying to establish if senior Sinn Fein figures in Derry were to be the target of a dissident republican attack.
A pipe bomb was found in a built up area of the Bogside area of the city around 9 pm on Thursday night.
Dissident republicans have been blamed after the device was abandoned in the middle of the road in Westland Street on Thursday night.
Martin McGuinness and Mitchell McLaughlin live nearby and the device could have aimed for their homes.
It is a line of enquiry detectives at Strand Road are trying to establish.
It has also emerged that a young man almost stood on the bomb but was pushed out of the way before he did.
The bomb was found close to a youth club which was packed with children at the time.
Several elderly people had to be moved out of their homes while British Army bomb squad officers made the device safe to be removed for forensic examination.
The incident has been condemned by Sinn Fein.
“Whoever left this device has only succeeded in causing hardship to the local population,” said Sinn Fein councillor Colly Kelly.
“It’s very upsetting for many of the elderly residents and those with young families caught up with all this disruption.”
“It is obvious that the those behind leaving such devices are out of touch with the will of the vast majority of the people of Derry who want to move forward without this type of disruption.”
PSNI Chief Inspector Gordon McCalmont appealed to the public for information.
“This security alert caused considerable disruption to a large amount of local residents and I would like to thank those people affected for their support and patience while we dealt with this viable device to make the area safe,” he said.
“I would ask anyone who noticed any suspicious activity in the Westland Street area recently, or anyone who knows anything about this incident, to contact detectives at Strand Road Police Station on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1025 of 10/11/16.
“Or if someone would prefer to provide information without giving their details, they can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers and speak to them anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
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