The Police Service of Northern Ireland have said a loyalist group is the most likely candidate responsible for planting a bomb under a car belonging to a heavily pregnant woman.

The bomb, which a police spokesperson said was the real thing, was found strapped to the car of woman seven months pregnant outside her home near Greystone, County Tyrone on Thursday January 31.

Bomb disposal experts carried out a number of controlled explosions on the suspect device which was found in a lunchbox and attached to the car with a magnet. Army technical officers recovered a Tupperware box bound with black tape, a detonator, mechanical timer unit and a battery pack.

Michelle Gildernew, the Sinn Féin MP for the area, said she was "very worried" about the type of device used in the bomb. She said: "It was very sophisticated and is a device that hasn't been used by loyalist groups in the area before."

She added that the bomb was planted "just because she was a nationalist" and represented further evidence of a loyalist campaign against Catholics being stepped up in the area.

Acting Chief Inspector David Boyd said he condemned the planting of the bomb under the car of a very vulnerable person in society. He said if it had gone off it could have caused death or serious injuries. He said: "The obvious candidate is a loyalist group although police are keeping an open mind as to who is responsible."

SDLP assembly member Tommy Gallagher said it was clear the people who had planted the device were "intent on causing death and destruction." He said: "This type of attack escalates fear and anxiety in the community. It is essential that those who carried out the attack are given no cover and any information people have should be passed on to the police." (AMcE)