Bus Driver Given 'IRA' Bomb

A bus driver has been left shaken after being ordered to drive a bomb to a police station in L'Derry by a masked man who said he was from the "IRA".

The man boarded the Ulsterbus in the Ballymagroarty area at about 18:15 on Wednesday evening.

He then placed the bomb directly behind the driver's seat and ordered her take the bus to Strand Road police station.

The driver then let the six passengers off the bus and parked the vehicle on the Northland Road.

70 people were evacuated from their homes and roads closed to traffic during a subsequent security alert.

An army bomb squad said the device was viable.

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness tweeted this morning: "The courage of the bus driver who last night prevented a bomb attack on the Peace Process in Derry must be commended & the attack condemned."

UUP Policing Board Member Ross Hussey condemned the attack.

He said: "What happened last night in the Ballymagroarty area of Londonderry yesterday evening was a study in madness, recklessness and cowardice.

"Republican terrorism is littered with stories of unstable explosive devices which detonated prematurely killing innocent people and on occasion the terrorists transporting them.

"The terrorists responsible care nothing for the safety of the public or working people. Last night it was a bus driver and her passengers who were put at risk in an attempt to kill Police officers, the other week it was post office employees endangered by explosive devices being sent through the post.

"The entire community must unite against these fanatics and deny them any cover from which to conduct their activities. I make no apology for repeating my call on the Secretary of State to ensure that the Chief Constable has all the resources and support from other agencies – including MI5 and the NCA – which he requires to enable the PSNI to not only deal with the threat from this latest brand of republican violence, but to stamp it out, permanently."

SDLP Derry City councillor John Boyle said: "This latest incident in Derry was a source of real distress for the bus driver, passengers and people whose homes were evacuated on what was one of the coldest and blustery nights of the winter. Placing devices on public transport is disgraceful and entirely unacceptable.

"This Translink worker, who I understand is female, and the passengers were placed on the front line last night and I completely condemn this attack on local people.

"The device was left on a bus, which was eventually abandoned on the Northland Road after the driver bravely drove the vehicle out of the housing estate at Ballymagroarty. The Northland Road is a main arterial route in and out of the city, and this maximised the disruption with the evacuation of the elderly and children in the area affected."

(IT/MH)