Man arrested over car bomb attack outside police station in Northern Ireland

A man has been arrested by counter terror police after a bomb detonated inside a hijacked car outside a police station just outside Belfast.

Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Terrorism Investigation Unit said the 66-year-old was arrested in the Dunmurry area following raids on Tuesday morning.

He was arrested under the Terrorism Act and detained for questioning, police said.

A number of searches are still ongoing around Belfast, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has said.

The device went off outside Dunmurry Police Station, southwest of Belfast city centre, on Saturday.

A delivery driver had his vehicle hijacked in the Twinbrook area of west Belfast and a device was placed inside the vehicle. He was then ordered to drive to the police station.

The car exploded outside the station as people were being evacuated. No one was injured.

Police are treating the incident as attempted murder.

The dissident republican group the New IRA has claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement to the Irish News newspaper.

The paper said the group claimed the attack had been an attempt to kill police officers as they tried to leave the station.

A PSNI spokesperson said: "We are aware of the claim and the investigation remains ongoing."

The investigation is continuing and police have reiterated their appeal for anyone with information to come forward.

A PSNI spokesperson said: "Please be assured that we will continue, tirelessly, with our efforts to bring those responsible to justice and to protect our local communities."

The incident came weeks after an attempted car bomb attack on Lurgan police station.

(c) Sky News 2026: Man arrested over car bomb attack outside police station in Northern Ireland