There is an ongoing security alert in Londonderry less than 48 hours after an explosion in the city centre on Saturday night.
The alert on Circular Road in the Creggan area comes after reports of a vehicle being hijacked by three masked men shortly before 11:30 GMT Monday. Police said the men reportedly threw an object at the back of the car before abandoning the vehicle.
Police in Derry/Londonderry dealing with 2nd security alert; Southway. Approx 1:45pm delivery driver’s vehicle was hijacked by 4 masked men, 1 of them reported to have had a gun. 2 occupants in the van ordered to drive it to Lonemoor Rd & leave it there.Cordons being put in place
— PSNI (@PoliceServiceNI) January 21, 2019
A number of cordons have been put in place and houses have been evacuated . A community centre in Central Drive has been made available to people who have been affected by the alert.
A bomb was set off outside Bishop Street Courthouse around 20:15 GMT on Sunday. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the attack could have been carried out by the new IRA , a dissident republican group.
Police release CCTV footage of explosion outside courthouse on Bishops Street in Derry/Londonderry last night. pic.twitter.com/tqzqBdCZnv
— PSNI DC&S District (@PSNIDCSDistrict) January 20, 2019
On Monday, police arrested a fifth man in connection with the bombing.
Four men remain in police custody, police said a pizza delivery man had a gun held to his head as his vehicle was hijacked and then used in the bombing. One CCTV clip posted on Twitter by police showed a group of young people walking past the vehicle shortly before the blast.
In a Facebook post, the PSNI said: “We are aware that a number of people are seeking the return of their vehicles – unfortunately this cannot be facilitated due to the continuing police operation.
“We would like to thank the community for their patience and support.”
The New IRA was formed in 2012 after a number of dissident republican organisations said they were being merged under one leadership, it is believed to be the largest dissident republican organisations.
