An explosion outside a police station near Belfast has been linked to the dissident republican splinter group and is being treated as "attempted murder"

Police in Northern Ireland have foiled a suspected car bomb attack, evacuating residents moments before an explosion outside a station in Dunmurry, southwest of Belfast. The authorities suspect the New Irish Republican Army (New IRA), a dissident republican splinter group, was behind the blast.

The incident occurred late on Saturday, when a hijacked vehicle carrying a gas cylinder device was parked outside the station. At a press conference on Sunday, PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said the perpetrators forced a delivery driver to take the car to the site and abandon it. Officers spotted the vehicle, deemed it suspicious, raised the alarm, and rushed to evacuate nearby homes.

"A number of residents, including two babies, were being taken to safety by officers when the device exploded, engulfing the vehicle in flames and sending debris in all directions," he said, calling it a "cowardly attack."

No injuries were reported, which police said was "nothing short of miraculous," though the blast caused significant damage. The incident is being treated as "attempted murder," with a counterterrorism unit leading the investigation.

Singleton said the "early working hypothesis" points to the New IRA, noting similarities with a failed attack last month in Lurgan, about 30km southwest of Belfast, where a delivery driver was forced at gunpoint to transport an explosive device that did not detonate. The group later claimed responsibility for that attempt.

The New IRA is designated a terrorist organization in the UK and is considered the most active dissident republican group in Northern Ireland. Formed in 2012 from factions rejecting the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, it seeks to end British rule and achieve a united Ireland through armed struggle.

Asked whether the terror threat level in Northern Ireland - currently "substantial" - should be reassessed following Saturday's incident, Singleton declined to give a direct answer but said the attack "reminds us of the murderous intent and capability" of militant groups, stressing the need for vigilance.

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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the attack, pledging on X that "those responsible will be brought to justice."

His government has maintained a zero-tolerance stance on the New IRA and stepped up efforts to curb its funding, including asset-freezing orders targeting suspected money laundering. Last month, Starmer and Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin agreed to establish a joint task force to monitor dissident groups and cross-border crime.