A security alert at a Border village has ended after a controlled explosion on a suspicious object.

The object was found to be “nothing untoward”, said the Police Service of Northern Ireland, after an operation saw the closure of Main Street in Derrylin, Co Fermanagh.

A number of homes and businesses were evacuated during the alert which lasted a number of hours.

Several road diversions in the area, including on the main cross-border road from Cavan to Enniskillen, have been lifted.

Chief Inspector Graham Dodds said army bomb experts examined the object following a controlled explosion on Saturday afternoon. </s> Three security alerts in Derry have ended after the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed the incidents, including one where they carried out a controlled explosion, to be hoaxes.

The security alerts were in the Circular Road, Southway areas of Creggan and Northland Road at St Mary’s College. Residents who had been evacuated have returned to their homes.

The PSNI had carried out a controlled explosion on a vehicle on Monday that was hijacked by masked men in Derry and examined two other abandoned vans. The incidents have resulted in fresh disruption in the city after a car bomb exploded outside its’ courthouse on Saturday. Nobody was injured in the attack on Bishop Street which the PSNI believes a dissident republican group called ‘the New IRA’ was responsible for.

There was a large bang and black smoke from the first van on Monday after an army bomb disposal robot entered.

Police said the van had been hijacked by three masked men who threw an object in the back before abandoning it on a residential street. “We can confirm that all three alerts are hoaxes, however, we cannot underestimate the impact these incidents have had on our community,” the PSNI said early on Tuesday.

Officers had evacuated homes and cordoned off both areas as they inspected the vehicles. A Royal Mail postal van was hijacked nearby later on Monday by four masked men, one of whom was reported to have a gun, police said. A third vehicle, an Asda delivery van, was left across Northland Road opposite St Mary’s College. There had also been an attempted hijacking of a local bus elsewhere, police said.

Meanwhile four of the five people arrested by police investigating the car bomb at the weekend have been released. A fifth man (50) remains in custody in connection with the explosion. The PSNI said four men - two aged 21, and others aged 34 and 42 - were released unconditionally on Monday night. The investigation is continuing.

Assistant chief constable of the PSNI Mark Hamilton said he has not seen anything that links Brexit to the bombing in Derry at the weekend or the hijackings on Monday. He also said there was no evidence to support speculation that the incidents are a response to the 100th anniversary of the War of Independence.

Mr Hamilton told RTÉ’s News at One on Monday there was no specific information to connect the car bomb and the hijacking incidents and that doing so would be purely speculation.

“Obviously we’re concerned that the events are connected and obviously alongside the events of Saturday night we have a significant investigation running into the crime on Saturday which has led to five arrests, it may well be that all these events are connected,” he said.

“I’ve seen nothing that links Brexit to any of these issues, the threat in Northern Ireland has remained severe since 2009, unfortunately there’s always some expectation that attacks could happen.

“It’s very important for everyone to understand that we’re not expecting trouble [from Brexit], we’re not expecting violence, we’re not expecting difficulties.

“I’m very concerned for the people of Derry. . .In the longer term we don’t want a sense of fear or uneasiness creeping into the community either here in Derry or across Northern Ireland.”–Additional reporting Reuters </s> DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish police seized a substantial quantity of firearms and a suspected explosive device near the border with Northern Ireland on Friday as part of an investigation into the activities of militant Irish nationalist groups there.

The searches took place near the County Louth village of Omeath, which lies on a small peninsula separating part of the border between European Union-member Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland.

The currently seamless border will become the United Kingdom’s only land frontier with the EU when it leaves the bloc, scheduled for the end of March.

Police on both sides have warned that any hardening of the border as a result of Brexit, with the potential return of customs posts, could be a target for the small number of militant groups still active in Northern Ireland after a 1998 peace deal ended three decades of violence in the province.

“During the searches to date Gardaí (Irish police) have recovered a substantial quantity of ammunition of varied caliber along with a mortar tube (pending examination by Garda ballistics experts),” the police said in a statement.

The recovery of the ammunition was part of ongoing police investigations targeting militant groups based in the area. The army’s bomb disposal unit was assisting at the scene, the statement added.

A militant group calling itself the “IRA” said this week it was responsible for a car bomb which detonated outside a court house in the Northern Irish city of Londonderry in January, highlighting the threat still posed by groups opposed to the peace agreement.

No one was injured in the blast, which the group said was not linked to Brexit. </s> A major police investigation is continuing in Derry after a car bomb exploded outside the city’s courthouse on Saturday night.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has said its main line of inquiry was that the dissident republican group the New IRA was responsible.

Four men – two in their 20s, a 34-year-old and a 42-year-old – were arrested and were being questioned on Sunday night by police.

Nobody was injured in the attack, which happened on Bishop Street at about 8.10pm. CCTV footage shows the car being abandoned outside the courthouse and a figure dressed in black running away. Armed and masked men had earlier hijacked the car, a Ford Fusion, from a pizza delivery driver in the Brandywell area of the city.

A bomb – described by police as a “crude and unstable device” – was put into the car and driven for half a mile through the city to the courthouse. The driver abandoned the car and ran off in the direction of the Bogside.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said the car was abandoned at about 7.23pm, and that shortly afterwards a call was received by the Samaritans in the English West Midlands warning of the car bomb.

That call was passed on to West Midlands police, who then passed it on to the PSNI. A patrol had already spotted the vehicle and had begun to evacuate the area. The bomb exploded at 8.09pm.

PSNI officers cut gates at the back of a youth club to allow 150 people – who were taking part in a charity quiz – to escape from the building on to the city’s walls. Other people were instructed to close doors and to move to the back of buildings.

A group of young people were recorded on CCTV making their way past the bomb about 20 minutes before it exploded.

In a statement, the dissident republican political party Saoradh linked the attack to the 100th anniversary of the Soloheadbeg ambush, which marked the beginning of the War of Independence.

The attack has been widely condemned. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley said it had “rightly been met with utter condemnation from all parts of the community”.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney said there was “no place and no justification possible for such acts of terror, which seek to drag Northern Ireland back to violence and conflict”.

Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan said the attack had been carried out against the people of Derry but also against communities across the island of Ireland who had enjoyed the results of the peace process for many years.

Security sources said the attack was a reminder of the continued threat from dissident republicans and voiced concern about the risk of further attacks if a hard border was introduced under Brexit. </s> Three masked men hijacked a van and threw an object in the back before abandoning it in Derry this morning, according to reports to police.

Police cordons have been set up in the area and there are reports homes have been evacuated.

It comes days after a car bomb exploded in the Northern Irish city, in a similar scenario where a car was abandoned in a built up area.

This afternoon the Northern Ireland Police Service (PSNI) tweeted: "Security alert currently in Derry/Londonderry in Circular Rd area after report van hijacked around 11.30am by 3 masked men who threw an object in the back before abandoning it.

"Cordons in place. Please be patient while we work to make the scene safe. Further updates to follow."

On Saturday evening a bomb left in an abandoned car outside Bishop Street Courthouse exploded.

Police attended the scene after receiving a warning through the Samaritans and cleared the scene before the explosion. Nobody was injured in the blast.

The PSNI has said that they believe dissident republican group the New IRA was behind the attack.

Reports have suggested that Prime Minister Theresa May is considering amending the Good Friday Agreement to get her Brexit deal through Westminster.

Her spokesman today said: "The PM has been clear on multiple occasions that we are committed to upholding the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts and to delivering a solution that avoids a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland."

Today is the 100th anniversary of the Soloheadbeg ambush, which is seen as the beginning of Ireland's war for independence. </s> Dramatic CCTV footage from the Derry car bomb shows the driver running away from the scene - minutes before the vehicle explodes into flames.

Police Service Northern Ireland have released four videos on their Twitter channel of the car arriving outside a courthouse on Bishop Street in the city centre last night.

Moments later, a person runs away in the direction the Ford Fusion car came from.

There is a lull of around 40 minutes during which time a warning was called in to the Samaritans in England's West Midlands.

The charity passed the warning onto cops in Northern Ireland who cordoned off many streets in the area.

The footage also shows a group of young people walking past the vehicle just minutes before it exploded.

Then, at 8.09pm, a huge fireball erupted into the air close to where many revellers were enjoying a night out.

Miraculously, there were no casualties - and dissident republican group the New IRA are now being suspected of being behind the car bomb.

Police and army bomb experts remain at the scene where a burnt out shell of the car is visible.

Two men in their 20s were arrested in the city in the early hours of Sunday by detectives investigating the explosion.

A pizza delivery driver was hijacked elsewhere in the city, and his car packed with explosives before being left outside the court house.

Speaking at the scene, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said: "Clearly, it was a very significant attempt to kill people here in this community.

"The New IRA, like most dissident republican groups in Northern Ireland, is small, largely unrepresentative, and determined to drag people back to somewhere they don't want to be.

"This attack was unbelievably reckless. Thankfully the attackers failed to kill or injure any members the local community out socialising and enjoying the best of what the city has to offer.

"The people responsible for this attack have shown no regard for the community or local businesses."

Hundreds of people - including children at a youth club, locals on a night out and guests at a hotel - were forced to scramble to safety.

The attack has been condemned by politicians across Northern Ireland's divide.

Local resident Greg McLaughlin told the BBC his windows shook as the car exploded.

He said: "It was very, very loud. I knew right away this was a bomb.

"You could see the ball of fire on the street.

"It sounded to me like a very significant blast. I haven't heard anything like it in Derry for quite a while."

The Irish nationalist New IRA is one of a small number of militant groups opposed to a 1998 peace deal that largely ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland.

The group has carried out sporadic attacks in recent years.

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Karen Bradley has said those behind the bomb attack will not prevail.

"This attempt to disrupt progress in Northern Ireland has rightly been met with utter condemnation from all parts of the community.

"The small number of people responsible have absolutely nothing to offer Northern Ireland's future and will not prevail.

"Our voices across the political spectrum are united. This is intolerable violence and we want to look forward and build a peaceful future for all in Northern Ireland.

"Thank you to the PSNI and emergency services who are working so hard to keep people safe and secure." </s> Latest: Two men in their 20s have been arrested in connection with a car bomb attack in Derry last night, the police have confirmed.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said that their main line of inquiry was that the dissident republican group, the New IRA, were behind the car bomb attack.

"Our main line of inquiry is against the New IRA," he said.

"The New IRA, like most dissident republican groups in Northern Ireland, is small, largely unrepresentative, and determined to drag people back to somewhere they don't want to be."

Earlier, the PSNI said the attack was "unbelievably reckless" and said they believe that the car had been "hijacked" in the city a short time before the explosion.

The scene of a suspected car bomb on Bishop Street in Derry. (Steven McAuley/PA)

Politicians have condemned the incident, with Tanaiste Simon Coveney saying that there is "no place and no justification possible for such acts of terror".

Derry's SDLP mayor John Boyle challenged those responsible on what the aim was, while DUP leader Arlene Foster said it was a "pointless act of terror" which "must be condemned in the strongest terms".

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Karen Bradley has said those behind the bomb attack will not prevail.

"This attempt to disrupt progress in Northern Ireland has rightly been met with utter condemnation from all parts of the community," she said.

"The small number of people responsible have absolutely nothing to offer Northern Ireland's future and will not prevail.

"Thank you to the PSNI and emergency services who are working so hard to keep people safe and secure."

Police have described last night's suspected car bomb attack outside a court in Derry as "unbelievably reckless".

The PSNI are investigating after the incident occurred in the city centre at 8.10pm last night.

The vehicle was consumed by flames (Steven McAuley/PA)

Residents were evacuated and witnesses reported hearing a loud bang and seeing a large plume of smoke.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said today that a suspicious vehicle was spotted by police 15 minutes before the device exploded.

He said they believe that the car had been "hijacked" in the city a short time before the explosion.

Constable Hamilton said: "At around 7.55pm last night officers on patrol in Bishop Street spotted a suspicious vehicle and were making checks when, around five minutes later, information was received that a device had been left at the courthouse.

"We moved immediately to begin evacuating people from nearby buildings including hundreds of hotel guests, 150 people from the Masonic Hall and a large number of children from a church youth club.

"The device detonated at 8.10pm. At this stage it appears as though the vehicle used had been hijacked from a delivery driver in the Quarry Street a short time before the explosion.

"The people responsible for this attack have shown no regard for the community or local businesses. They care little about the damage to the area and the disruption they have caused.

"The area remains sealed off and church services at St Augustine's have been moved to St Peters and the cathedral services have been cancelled this morning as a result.

Constable Hamilton thanked the local community for its support and co-operation and asked anyone with information to contact police.

An investigation by the PSNI is underway after a suspected car bomb exploded in Derry last night.

The police, as well as firefighters and the ambulance service, sealed off the scene close to a courthouse on Bishop Street in the city.

Handout photo taken from the PSNI Twitter page @PSNIDCSDistrict of the scene of a suspected car bomb on Bishop Street in Derry.

Witnesses earlier said they heard a loud bang and saw a large plume of smoke, and local residents were evacuated.

There has been no reports of any casualties at this stage.

A photograph was tweeted from the PSNI Twitter account warned people to stay away from the area.

The tweet from the PSNI's Derry City and Strabane District account also warned members of the public that Bishop Street was closed, adding the words "suspected car bomb".

A further update was posted on the PSNI's Foyle Facebook page.

"As far as we know no one injured. There is another car we are not happy about. There are ongoing necessary evacuations."

Tánaiste Simon Coveney tweeted his disgust at the incident.

"I utterly condemn the car bomb terrorist attack in Derry this evening," he said.

Derry's SDLP mayor John Boyle challenged those responsible on what the aim was.

He said: "I would actually like to ask the people responsible for this what it actually was that they thought they were going to achieve.

"It achieves nothing, it didn't achieve anything in the past, it didn't achieve anything right now.

"I have a question for them, what was this all about, because quite frankly this is not something that the people of this city wanted to see, it's not something they support, and as Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, I have to say I feel it incumbent upon me to speak out on behalf of the vast, vast majority of people in Derry, Strabane and indeed across this island, this is not what we want.

"This is the past and it has to stay in the past. We don't want to see any more of it."

DUP leader Arlene Foster said it was a "pointless act of terror" which "must be condemned in the strongest terms".

"Only hurts the people of the City. Perpetrated by people with no regard for life," she said.

"Grateful to our emergency services for their swift actions which helped ensure there have been no fatalities or injuries."

PSNI officers sealed off the area following the explosion (Steven McAuley/PA)

"This incident has shocked the local community," she said. "In particular, there are many elderly residents who live in the area who have been alarmed.

"Thankfully no-one appears to have been injured.

"Derry is a city moving forward and no-one wants this type of incident. It is not representative of the city.

"I would encourage anyone with information about this incident to bring it to the police." </s> Latest: Two men in their 20s have been arrested in connection with a car bomb attack in Derry last night, the police have confirmed.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said that their main line of inquiry was that the dissident republican group, the New IRA, were behind the car bomb attack.

"Our main line of inquiry is against the New IRA," he said.

"The New IRA, like most dissident republican groups in Northern Ireland, is small, largely unrepresentative, and determined to drag people back to somewhere they don't want to be."

Earlier, the PSNI said the attack was "unbelievably reckless" and said they believe that the car had been "hijacked" in the city a short time before the explosion.

The scene of a suspected car bomb on Bishop Street in Derry. (Steven McAuley/PA)

Politicians have condemned the incident, with Tanaiste Simon Coveney saying that there is "no place and no justification possible for such acts of terror".

Derry's SDLP mayor John Boyle challenged those responsible on what the aim was, while DUP leader Arlene Foster said it was a "pointless act of terror" which "must be condemned in the strongest terms".

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Karen Bradley has said those behind the bomb attack will not prevail.

"This attempt to disrupt progress in Northern Ireland has rightly been met with utter condemnation from all parts of the community," she said.

"The small number of people responsible have absolutely nothing to offer Northern Ireland's future and will not prevail.

"Thank you to the PSNI and emergency services who are working so hard to keep people safe and secure."

Police have described last night's suspected car bomb attack outside a court in Derry as "unbelievably reckless".

The PSNI are investigating after the incident occurred in the city centre at 8.10pm last night.

The vehicle was consumed by flames (Steven McAuley/PA)

Residents were evacuated and witnesses reported hearing a loud bang and seeing a large plume of smoke.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said today that a suspicious vehicle was spotted by police 15 minutes before the device exploded.

He said they believe that the car had been "hijacked" in the city a short time before the explosion.

Constable Hamilton said: "At around 7.55pm last night officers on patrol in Bishop Street spotted a suspicious vehicle and were making checks when, around five minutes later, information was received that a device had been left at the courthouse.

"We moved immediately to begin evacuating people from nearby buildings including hundreds of hotel guests, 150 people from the Masonic Hall and a large number of children from a church youth club.

"The device detonated at 8.10pm. At this stage it appears as though the vehicle used had been hijacked from a delivery driver in the Quarry Street a short time before the explosion.

"The people responsible for this attack have shown no regard for the community or local businesses. They care little about the damage to the area and the disruption they have caused.

"The area remains sealed off and church services at St Augustine's have been moved to St Peters and the cathedral services have been cancelled this morning as a result.

Constable Hamilton thanked the local community for its support and co-operation and asked anyone with information to contact police.

An investigation by the PSNI is underway after a suspected car bomb exploded in Derry last night.

The police, as well as firefighters and the ambulance service, sealed off the scene close to a courthouse on Bishop Street in the city.

Handout photo taken from the PSNI Twitter page @PSNIDCSDistrict of the scene of a suspected car bomb on Bishop Street in Derry.

Witnesses earlier said they heard a loud bang and saw a large plume of smoke, and local residents were evacuated.

There has been no reports of any casualties at this stage.

A photograph was tweeted from the PSNI Twitter account warned people to stay away from the area.

The tweet from the PSNI's Derry City and Strabane District account also warned members of the public that Bishop Street was closed, adding the words "suspected car bomb".

A further update was posted on the PSNI's Foyle Facebook page.

"As far as we know no one injured. There is another car we are not happy about. There are ongoing necessary evacuations."

TÃ¡naiste Simon Coveney tweeted his disgust at the incident.

"I utterly condemn the car bomb terrorist attack in Derry this evening," he said.

Derry's SDLP mayor John Boyle challenged those responsible on what the aim was.

He said: "I would actually like to ask the people responsible for this what it actually was that they thought they were going to achieve.

"It achieves nothing, it didn't achieve anything in the past, it didn't achieve anything right now.

"I have a question for them, what was this all about, because quite frankly this is not something that the people of this city wanted to see, it's not something they support, and as Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, I have to say I feel it incumbent upon me to speak out on behalf of the vast, vast majority of people in Derry, Strabane and indeed across this island, this is not what we want.

"This is the past and it has to stay in the past. We don't want to see any more of it."

DUP leader Arlene Foster said it was a "pointless act of terror" which "must be condemned in the strongest terms".

"Only hurts the people of the City. Perpetrated by people with no regard for life," she said.

"Grateful to our emergency services for their swift actions which helped ensure there have been no fatalities or injuries."

PSNI officers sealed off the area following the explosion (Steven McAuley/PA)

"This incident has shocked the local community," she said. "In particular, there are many elderly residents who live in the area who have been alarmed.

"Thankfully no-one appears to have been injured.

"Derry is a city moving forward and no-one wants this type of incident. It is not representative of the city.

"I would encourage anyone with information about this incident to bring it to the police." </s> Police in Derry have confirmed that two of the three vehicles used in security alerts across the city on Monday were hijacked at gunpoint.

The third vehicle was hijacked by masked men who did not appear to be armed.

Speaking on Tuesday, after three separate security alerts in the town saw hundreds of residents evacuated from their homes, Derry’s top police officer Gordon McCalmont condemned those involved.

“Two out of the three – there has been mention of guns being involved,” he said.

“Those drivers were going out to their work yesterday, going to do a day’s work and support their families, and I’m sure not for one minute did they think they would be confronted by armed masked men.

“It’s madness, that is the reality of it.”

Royal Mail said on Tuesday that following advice of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), their workers would not be attending certain areas of the city after one of its vans was hijacked.

The PSNI say its main line of inquiry is that Saturday’s bomb and Monday’s spate of alerts were conducted by the New IRA, an amalgamation of dissident republican factions in Derry, who are allegedly responsible for the riots in the Bogside area of the city during the summer.

Superintendent McCalmont added that he believed Monday night’s security alerts were planted to impede the investigation into Saturday evening’s car bomb attack in Bishop Street.

In the first incident, three men reportedly hijacked a white Transit van in the Circular Road area at around 11.30am before throwing an object in the back and abandoning the vehicle.

Army bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion on the van.

Just over two hours later, at 1.45pm, police received a report that four masked men – one allegedly armed with a gun – had hijacked a postal delivery van on Southway.

Police said the two occupants of the van were ordered to drive to Lonemoor Road and leave it there.

The third incident saw another abandoned vehicle in the city cause panic on Monday night.

Police attended Northland Road after an Asda delivery van was left parked across the road, stopping traffic in front of St Mary’s secondary school.

Elderly residents were evacuated from their homes as police attempted to secure the area.

Mr McCalmont added: “The support we have had has been absolutely fantastic, we’ve had residents thanking ATO and officers when being evacuated from their homes – we’re working hard as a community, political, church and otherwise.

“I’d like to repeat that Derry is very much open for business today.”

Four men arrested on suspicion of the Bishop Street car bombing have been released.

The men, aged 42, 34 and two aged 21, were arrested on Sunday and released unconditionally.

The PSNI has refuted criticism that the force rushed into the arrests in order to calm a worried public.

“Everything we have to do is lawful and necessary – that criticism is unwarranted,” Mr McCalmont added.

No new check points will be set up in the city as the PSNI does not want to add to the disruption already caused by “terrorists”.
The village of Derrylin, close to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, is sealed off after a suspicious object is found. The object is later determined to be “nothing untoward”.