New IRA Car Bomb Explodes Outside Dunmurry Police Station in Belfast: Delivery Driver Hijacked and Homes Evacuated
A car bomb believed to have been planted by the New IRA exploded outside Dunmurry PSNI station on the outskirts of Belfast late on Saturday night, 26 April 2026, in what police have described as a deliberate attempt to kill officers. The blast, which occurred at approximately 11 pm local time, sent debris flying across a residential area and triggered the immediate evacuation of homes in the Kingsway neighbourhood. Miraculously, no fatalities were reported, although the incident has reignited fears of dissident republican violence in Northern Ireland.
The attack came just weeks after a similar incident at Lurgan police station in March, marking the second targeting of a PSNI facility in recent weeks and raising fresh questions about the security environment in the region.
How the Dunmurry Car Bomb Attack Unfolded
According to PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton, the attack began when a male delivery driver was hijacked in the Twinbrook area of West Belfast shortly after 10:50 pm. The attackers placed an improvised explosive device — described as a compressed gas cylinder — into the boot of the driver’s vehicle and ordered him to drive to the Dunmurry PSNI station.
When the vehicle was abandoned outside the front of the station, security personnel immediately activated the station’s attack alarm. Officers, acting with what Singleton called extraordinary courage, began evacuating nearby homes, running directly into danger to protect local residents. Among those evacuated were families with young children, including two babies.
The device detonated while police were still carrying out the evacuation, engulfing the vehicle in flames and scattering debris across a wide area. Forensic officers spent Sunday morning examining the burnt-out wreck beside the station, while a cordon remained in place around the Kingsway area.
PSNI Points to New IRA as Likely Perpetrators
Deputy Chief Constable Singleton confirmed that the method of the attack bore strong similarities to the March incident at Lurgan police station, where a vehicle was also hijacked and used to deliver an explosive device. He stated that the New IRA — a dissident republican paramilitary group that has rejected the 1998 Good Friday Agreement — is believed to be responsible.
“For a device like this to have been deployed against police and in such proximity to the public was idiotic. It was absolute madness,” Singleton told reporters. He added that the attackers showed “callous disregard” for the lives of people living near the station. The recent spate of attacks on police stations represents a concerning escalation in activity by dissident republicans, who have historically opposed the peace process that ended decades of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland.
The New IRA, formed around 2012 through the merger of several dissident factions, has been responsible for sporadic attacks on security forces despite being significantly weakened by arrests and intelligence operations over the past decade. The group was responsible for the killing of journalist Lyra McKee in Derry in 2019 and has continued low-level operations including bomb hoaxes, arms dumps, and occasional attacks on police patrols.
Political Condemnation and Community Response
Brendan Mullan, chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, issued a strong condemnation of the attack. “This device was sent to kill officers and cause maximum harm in an attack which was in the heart of a residential area,” he said. “Those responsible had callous disregard for people living close to the station and who so easily could have been caught up in this explosion.”
Mullan noted that it was “a miracle no one was seriously injured” and praised the officers, Army Technical Officers (ATO), and emergency services who responded to the incident. He described the second attack on a police station in recent weeks as “depressing” and reaffirmed that “the people have spoken when they overwhelmingly endorsed the Good Friday Agreement.”
Political leaders across Northern Ireland’s power-sharing assembly condemned the bombing. Sinn Féin, the DUP, Alliance, SDLP, and UUP all issued statements denouncing the violence and calling for community cooperation with police investigations. The incident is particularly sensitive given that 2026 marks the 28th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which brought an end to the Troubles — a conflict that claimed over 3,500 lives.
Security Implications and the Broader Threat Landscape
The two attacks on police stations in less than two months have prompted calls for a reassessment of security arrangements at PSNI facilities. While the current UK terror threat level for Northern Ireland-related terrorism remains at “substantial” — meaning an attack is likely — some security analysts argue that it may need to be reviewed in light of the escalation.
Former senior police officers have noted that while the New IRA remains a small organisation with limited capability compared to the Provisional IRA at its peak, even rudimentary devices can cause serious harm, as demonstrated by the Dunmurry attack. The hijacking of civilians to deliver bombs — so-called “proxy bombs” — is a particularly insidious tactic that puts innocent lives at direct risk and has been condemned across the political spectrum.
Security sources have indicated that police intelligence operations are ongoing and that several suspects have already been identified through CCTV and mobile phone data. The investigation is being supported by MI5 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Legacy Investigation Branch. Also read: How the Washington Hilton shooting unfolded during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
What Happens Next
The PSNI has appealed for witnesses who may have seen suspicious activity in the Twinbrook or Dunmurry areas on Saturday night to come forward. Forensic examination of the scene is expected to continue for several days, during which some road closures will remain in effect.
Community leaders in Dunmurry have organised support for displaced residents, with local churches and community centres offering temporary accommodation for those unable to return to their homes immediately. The Policing Board has scheduled an emergency meeting for Monday to discuss the security response.
The incident serves as a stark reminder that while Northern Ireland has made tremendous progress since 1998, the threat from dissident republicans — though diminished — has not been fully eliminated. As one senior PSNI officer put it: “The people who did this do not represent the community. They represent nothing but a failed ideology that the overwhelming majority of people on this island rejected a generation ago.”
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