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First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill said those behind the attack \u2018speak for absolutely no-one\u2019 (Niall Carson\/PA)<\/p>\nNorthern Ireland\u2019s political leaders have united in condemning an attack on a police station, which saw an explosive device detonate in a car.<\/p>\n
Police said a vehicle was hijacked on Saturday night in west Belfast, and a gas cylinder device was placed in the boot.<\/p>\n
A male delivery driver was ordered to drive the car to Dunmurry police station in the Kingsway area and abandon it outside, which caused police to activate the station\u2019s attack alarm.<\/p>\n
No-one was harmed in the explosion despite the evacuation of residents, including two babies, being underway at the time.<\/p>\n
On Sunday morning, forensic officers examined the burnt-out vehicle that had been moved to a side street beside the PSNI station.<\/p>\n
First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill said those behind the attack \u2018speak for absolutely no-one\u2019 (Niall Carson\/PA)<\/p>\n
First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill said those behind the attack \u201cspeak for absolutely no-one\u201d.<\/p>\n
She posted on social media: \u201cThey have no vision, no support, and have nothing to offer our society<\/p>\n
\u201cOur communities deserve peace. No-one is going to deny our young people and future generations that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will keep progressing and we will keep moving forward to a better future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said \u201call right-thinking people will reject this sort of behaviour and see it as a cowardly attempt to try and drag us all backwards.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would like to commend the police officers for their swift response to this incident, their courage in the face of danger ensured local residents were protected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would appeal to anyone with information to contact the PSNI.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Dunmurry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777219450_105_political-leaders-unite-to-condemn-cowardly-attack-on-psni-station.jpg\")
Sinn Fein\u2019s Paul Maskey said elderly residents near the scene were left \u2018petrified\u2019 (Niall Carson\/PA)<\/p>\n
Sinn Fein MP for west Belfast Paul Maskey told reporters outside Dunmurry station that residents had to be \u201cput out of their homes\u201d as a result of the attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung families whilst they were being moved out of their homes last night, the explosion occurred,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cElderly people who couldn\u2019t leave their homes were left petrified and terrified.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no idea about the motivation last night, and I think those who carried this attack out should come forward with their ideas, because it\u2019s quite clear that their ideas mean absolutely nothing to this community.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople don\u2019t support them, people don\u2019t want them, and people don\u2019t want those people who are involved in this type of activity to be carrying out attacks such as this.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo people are saying quite clearly, get off the scene, leave the scene, leave people alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
DUP leader Gavin Robinson described the incident as \u201cdeeply concerning\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cIf this was another attempt by dissident republicans to intimidate communities and target the police, then it must be met with the full force of the law.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur police officers and the wider public should never have to face this kind of danger.<\/p>\n
They are desperate, depraved and morally bankrupt gangsters seeking to drag Northern Ireland back to darker days. They will fail, just as their predecessors did<\/p>\n
Jon Burrows, UUP leader and ex-policeman<\/p>\n
\u201cThose responsible must be identified and brought before the courts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said the attack \u201cwas a cowardly attempt to cause injury and destruction\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cBy targeting a police station in the heart of a residential area, those responsible have shown a total disregard for the lives of local people and for the men and women who work to keep our communities safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are resolute in our commitment to peace, and these actions will only strengthen our collective determination.\u201d<\/p>\n
Justice Minister and Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said the incident was \u201csimply unconscionable\u201d just weeks \u201cafter the widespread condemnation of the attack in Lurgan\u201d.<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cDespite the fact that acts of violence such as this have been roundly rejected, lives have once again been put at risk by the actions of a very small minority who offer nothing but devastation and destruction.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed, it is extremely fortunate that no-one was hurt or even killed as a result of this despicable attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose behind this attack have demonstrated a total disregard for every single person living in the area.<\/p>\n
The explosion at Dunmurry is hugely distressing for residents and worrying for police officers who were targeted.<\/p>\n
For the rest of us it is a reminder there are people, however few, who still want to use violence to drag us to dark place.<\/p>\n
They will fail.<\/p>\n