Car bombs and hijackings: Why two attacks show the New IRA hasn’t gone away

Last Saturday evening, a food delivery driver was hijacked in Co Antrim, a bomb was placed in his car and he was ordered to drive to Dunmurry police station. When he got there he ran in to raise the alarm. Minutes later, a police officer’s bodycam recorded the car exploding as nearby houses were being evacuated, with two babies among those who were being brought to safety at the time. The attack is being treated by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) as attempted murder and comes just weeks after an attempted car bomb attack on Lurgan police station in Co Armagh. The New IRA has claimed responsibility for both attacks but who is this dissident republican group? The car bombs were crude but according to Irish Times Northern correspondent Freya McClements, what counts in these attacks is the attention they receive for the organisation and the fear they instil in local communities and members of the PSNI. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Car bombs and hijackings: Why two attacks show the New IRA hasn’t gone away is an episode from In The News by dconlon@irishtimes.com .

This episode is 28:17 long.

This episode was published on Apr 30, 2026.

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