Man arrested in connection to discovery of bomb in Strabane

A man has been arrested in Strabane in connection to an ongoing investigation into the discovery of a mortar device in the Church View area of the town in September.
The 28 year old was arrested by detectives from the PSNI’s Terrorism Investigation Unit under the Terrorism Act.
A number of searches are currently ongoing in Strabane today following the arrest.
Detective Inspector Andrew Hamlin from PSNI’s Terrorism Investigation Unit said: “Today’s arrest and searches are linked to an ongoing investigation into a mortar device that was discovered in Church View, Strabane on Saturday September 7th.
He says; “Whilst the device was aimed at the nearby police station and was undoubtedly designed to injure or murder police officers, it was recklessly left in a public area, just metres away from a number of family homes.
Detective Hamlin believes the New IRA members who were behind this attack are living in the community, amongst the people whose lives they put at risk and says they showed disregard for the small children whose lives were put at risk due to being in close proximity to the deadly device as well as the older and vulnerable people were forced to leave their homes.
Police are urging people to report any suspicions they have about dangerous and illegal activity in the community.