Man arrested in Strabane in connection to two pipe bomb attacks in the town

A 32 year old man has been arrested in Strabane today under the Terrorism Act.
The man was arrested in the town by detectives from the PSNI’s Terrorism Investigation Unit on suspicion of dissident republican activity including pipe bomb attacks in the town in 2017.
The suspect has been taken to Musgrave Serious Crime Suite for questioning.
Speaking about the arrest, Detective Inspector Andrew Hamlin said: “As part of our ongoing investigation into dissident republican activity, a man was arrested earlier today in connection to two pipe bomb attacks in the Drumrallagh estate in Strabane in July 2017 and in Melmount Villas in August 2017. The suspect has also been arrested in connection to a hoax pipe bomb which was left at the Footbridge in the town in March this year which caused serious disruption to the area.
“One of the attacks involved a device being thrown through the bedroom window of a home where an older person was sleeping. Thankfully, it didn’t explode or it could have caused serious harm. In the other reckless attack a viable pipe bomb type device was left in a residential area causing people to be evacuated from their homes.
“We are committed to disrupting the activity of the dissident republicans who carry out these types of attacks. They clearly have no regard for the safety of the people living in Strabane and we know that the vast majority of people within the local community are disgusted with their actions. We will continue to dismantle these individuals with their twisted ideologies and free communities from the threat they pose.”