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>Police in Northern Ireland said Sunday they suspect Irish Republican Army dissidents were behind a car bombing outside a courthouse in the city of Londonderry. Two men in their 20s have been arrested.

The device was placed inside a hijacked delivery vehicle and exploded Saturday night as police, who had received a warning, were evacuating the area. There were no reports of injuries.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland posted a photograph of a vehicle in flames and urged the public to stay away.

Police and army bomb-disposal experts remained at the scene on Sunday.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said the bomb had been a “crude” and unstable device, and called the attack “incredibly reckless.”

“The people responsible for this attack have shown no regard for the community or local businesses,” he said.

Hamilton said the “main line of inquiry” was that the bomb had been planted by a group known as the New IRA.

More than 3,700 people died during decades of violence before Northern Ireland’s 1998 peace accord. Most militants have renounced violence, but small groups of IRA dissidents have carried out occasional bombings and shootings.

Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government has been suspended for two years because of a dispute between the main Protestant and Catholic political parties. Uncertainty about the future of the Irish border after Brexit is adding to tensions.

John Boyle, who is mayor of the city also known as Derry, said violence “is the past and it has to stay in the past.”</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>Police in Northern Ireland have arrested two men in connection with Saturday night’s car bomb in Derry city.

The suspects, both in their 20s, were detained early on Sunday after what police called an “unbelievably reckless” attack outside a courthouse in the heart of the city.

The New IRA, a dissident republican group, was the main line of inquiry, the assistant chief constable Mark Hamilton told a media briefing near the scene.

Police said they received an approximate 10-minute warning before the bomb exploded outside a courthouse on Bishop Street at 8.10pm, giving limited time to evacuate hundreds of people from a nearby hotel, the Freemasons’ hall, youth club and other sites. There were no casualties.

A pizza delivery vehicle hijacked a short time earlier is believed to have been used in the attack. Witnesses said they heard a loud bang and saw a large plume of smoke.

A police forensics team was examining the scene on Sunday, with cordons sealing off access to the charred wreckage of the vehicle.

“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,” Hamilton said in a statement released earlier on Sunday.

“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.”

The attackers failed to kill or injure anyone, said Hamilton. “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,” he added.

No one claimed responsibility but suspicion fell on dissident Irish republicans opposed to the peace process.

A spate of bomb attacks in Derry in 2015, including a device found under a police officer’s car, was blamed on dissident republicans. They caused no casualties.

The Northern Ireland secretary, Karen Bradley, expressed concern and urged anyone with information about the attack to contact the police or Crimestoppers.

Bradley said: “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. ”

Simon Coveney, Ireland’s foreign minister, said the attack was an attempt to drag Northern Ireland back into violence and conflict.

Arlene Foster, the leader of the Democratic Unionist party, called it a “pointless act of terror” perpetrated by people with no regard for life.

The Foyle Sinn Féin MP, Elisha McCallion, also condemned the blast. She said: “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.”

A handful of small, radical republican groups reject power-sharing in Northern Ireland and accuse Sinn Féin of selling out by accepting the 1998 Good Friday agreement, which drew a line under the Troubles.

Saoradh, a fringe political party backed by New IRA prisoners, attributed the attack to “republican revolutionaries” and linked it to the centenary of the Soloheadbeg ambush on police in Tipperary, widely seen as the start of Ireland’s war of independence against Britain.

“It seems 100 years later Volunteer Sean Tracey’s comrades continue the unfinished revolution,” said the party’s website.

Ireland’s culture minister, Josepha Madigan, is due on Monday to lay a remembrance wreath at the Solohead memorial. Monday is also the 100th anniversary of the first meeting of the Dáil, a breakaway parliament set up by Irish MPs who shunned Westminster.

Northern Ireland has drifted in a political vacuum since a row between Sinn Féin and the DUP collapsed the power-sharing executive at Stormont in 2017.

Brexit has compounded the instability by reviving contention over the border and and Northern Ireland’s constitutional status.

Andrew Adonis, the Labour peer, accused Brexiters of playing fast and loose with the region’s peace and stability.

“The prime minister should be in Derry-Londonderry today discussing the state of the city and security – & then go Belfast to meet all the parties & break the deadlock to set up a Northern Ireland Assembly & Government. Instead, Brexit, Brexit, Brexit,” he tweeted.</s>Two men, aged 34 and 42, were arrested in the city following two earlier arrests on Sunday morning. All four men are currently being held in custody. Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said the 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."

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have released CCTV footage of the dramatic attack along Bishop Street, where a group of people were seen walking past the car minutes before the explosion.



The footage shows the car parked outside the courthouse, where a male driver is seen leaving the vehicle.



Just before 8pm, the bomb detonated and the car exploded in a fiery blast.



Mr Hamilton believes the car, a Ford Fusion, was seized from a pizza delivery driver the night before the attack.



Police were warned about the attack moments before the explosion.



He added: "We believe that some time after 6pm last night (Saturday), in the Quarry Street area of Derry, a pizza delivery driver was hijacked.



"He had his Ford Fusion car taken off him by at least two armed men.



"Between then and 7.23pm, a bomb was put in that car, driven at least half a mile to outside the court house on Bishop Street and around three minutes later a phone call went in to the Samaritans in West Midlands in England, which was then passed to West Midlands Police who then contacted us.

"In the intervening minutes we had already found the car and started to evacuate the area. At around 8.09pm, the bomb detonated.



"Fortunately it didn't kill anybody and fortunately it didn't cause widespread damage, but clearly it was a very significant attempt to kill people in the local community."



No one was injured in the attack.



He added: "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.



"They care little about the damage to the area and the disruption they have caused."</s>Latest: Detectives investigating a car bomb explosion in Derry have arrested a further two men.

The men, aged 34 and 42 years, were arrested in the city on Sunday evening.

Two men aged in their 20s were arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Earlier (5.35pm): Police have released dramatic footage showing the moment a car bomb exploded outside Derry Courthouse.

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

The PSNI released four clips via Twitter on Sunday following the blast on Saturday evening.

Assistant chief constable Mark Hamilton described the bomb as a “crude device” and the attack as “unbelievably reckless”.

Dissident republican group the New IRA is suspected to be behind the attack.

The first clip shows the Ford Fusion car, which was hijacked from a pizza delivery driver earlier that evening, being driven to the courthouse in Bishop Street.

The second clip shows a figure running away from the vehicle after parking it.

The third shows a large group of young people walking past the vehicle, as well as another car driving past.

The final clip shows the dramatic moment the car exploded in a flash of light and debris being flung from the burning wreckage.

Mr Hamilton described the bomb attack as a “very significant attempt to kill people”.

“Fortunately it didn’t kill anybody and fortunately it didn’t cause widespread damage but clearly it was a very significant attempt to kill people in the local community,” he said.

He added they got everyone evacuated “just in time”.

“The bomb detonated just as we were leaving the area and it is only by good grace that local people were not killed,” he added.

Earlier (12:06pm): Two men arrested in connection with Derry car bomb attack

Two men in their 20s have been arrested in connection with a car bomb attack in Derry last night, the police have confirmed.

The attack came shortly after 8pm last night when a vehicle exploded on Bishop Street.

Police and army bomb experts remain at the scene.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said the New IRA was their main line of inquiry.

"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."

Mr Hamilton detailed how a pizza delivery driver was hijacked on Saturday evening, and his car packed with explosives before being left outside the court house on Bishop Street in Derry.

“We believe that some time after 6pm last night (Saturday), in the Quarry Street area of Derry, a pizza delivery driver was hijacked,” he said.

“He had his Ford Fusion car taken off him by at least two armed men.

“Between then and 7.23pm, a bomb was put in that car, driven at least half a mile to outside the court house on Bishop Street and around three minutes later a phone call went in to the Samaritans in West Midlands in England, which was then passed to West Midlands Police who then contacted us. Police near the scene on Bishop Street (Steven McAuley/PA)

“In the intervening minutes we had already found the car and started to evacuate the area. At around 8.09pm, the bomb detonated.

“Fortunately it didn’t kill anybody and fortunately it didn’t cause widespread damage, but clearly it was a very significant attempt to kill people in the local community.”

He added they got everyone evacuated “just in time”.

“The bomb detonated just as we were leaving the area and it is only by good grace that local people were not killed,” he said.

Those evacuated from nearby buildings included hundreds of hotel guests, 150 people from the Masonic Hall and a large number of children from a church youth club.

Earlier fears of a secondary device have been ruled out.

No-one was injured in the attack. No-one was injured in the attack (PSNI)

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.

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."

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

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>LONDON -- Police in Northern Ireland said Sunday they suspect Irish Republican Army dissidents were behind a car bombing outside a courthouse in the city of Londonderry. Two men in their 20s have been arrested.

The device was placed inside a hijacked delivery vehicle and exploded Saturday night as police, who had received a warning, were evacuating the area. There were no reports of injuries.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland posted a photograph of a vehicle in flames and urged the public to stay away.

Police and army bomb-disposal experts remained at the scene on Sunday.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said the bomb had been a "crude" and unstable device, and called the attack "incredibly reckless."

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

Hamilton said the "main line of inquiry" was that the bomb had been planted by a group known as the New IRA.

More than 3,700 people died during decades of violence before Northern Ireland's 1998 peace accord. Most militants have renounced violence, but small groups of IRA dissidents have carried out occasional bombings and shootings.

Northern Ireland's power-sharing government has been suspended for two years because of a dispute between the main Protestant and Catholic political parties. Uncertainty about the future of the Irish border after Brexit is adding to tensions.

John Boyle, who is mayor of the city also known as Derry, said violence "is the past and it has to stay in the past."</s>Police in Northern Ireland said their primary line of inquiry into the Derry car bomb was that dissident republican group, the New IRA , was behind the attack on Saturday night.

Two people have been arrested in connection with the attack in the city centre last night. No-one was injured in the attack which has been condemned by politicians on all sides.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said it would have killed people had they been anywhere near it. He said lives were put at risk and the bomb was driven half a mile through the city. The attack has been condemned by police as “unbelievably reckless”.

An extensive PSNI operation has been mounted in the city after the car bomb exploded at 8.10pm on Saturday.

It is understood police received a warning after a pizza delivery van was hijacked in the Brandywell area, and it is understood this is the vehicle that was used in the attack.

The PSNI were already in the area when they received a warning that a device had been left in the courthouse. It exploded ten minutes later. They did not have time to evacuate all premises. It is understood the device was a blast bomb placed inside the car.

“At around 7.55pm last night officers on patrol in Bishop Street spotted a suspicious vehicle and were making checks,” said Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton.

“Around 5 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 [in the Brandywell area] a short time before the explosion.”

He condemned the attack as “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. They care little about the damage to the area and the disruption they have caused,” he said.

Much of Bishop Street remains cordoned off.

Staff in the nearby Bishop’s Gate Hotel were told to lock doors and not allow anyone in. One woman who was inside said: “I was sitting eating my dinner when the bomb went off. After that the staff were brilliant and we were kept up to date with developments.”

All the residents in the hotel were n moved to nearby accommodation. There is no obvious damage to the hotel, and no other premises appear to have been evacuated.

An elderly people’s home was within the security cordon but was not evacuated either. The bomb appears to have exploded outside the security entrance to Bishop Street Courthouse.

No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Saoradh – which describes itself as a revolutionary Irish Republican Party – said dissident republicans were behind the explosion.

Saoradh said in a statement that the explosion was “believed to have been a large mine attack by Republican revolutionaries”.

It linked the attack to the 100th anniversary of the Soloheadbeg ambush, which marked the beginning of the War of Independence.

Mayor of Derry John Boyle said: “Words fail you. It is regrettable that we are standing here once more in front of a police cordon after an explosion in the city centre. Tonight I’m very unhappy because I know the people of this city want to move forward and to build a better future and I am deeply saddened that a minority in our community wants to drag us back to the past. And what is worse, threaten life.”

The PSNI has asked for “the patience and co-operation of the public and the business community as we carry out our initial investigations”.

The MP for the area, Sinn Féin’s Elisha McCallion, condemned the attack and said she believed nobody had been injured.

“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 by this incident. 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.”

SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan said: “Whoever is responsible for this explosion within our city centre hasn’t got the message that the people of Derry don’t want this on our streets. Whatever their agenda is they are causing distress, damage and potential death and that is not the way to further your cause”

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney tweeted: “I utterly condemn the car bomb terrorist attack in Derry this evening. There is no place and no justification possible for such acts of terror, which seek to drag Northern Ireland back to violence and conflict.”

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley said “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.”

DUP leader Arlene Foster tweeted: “This pointless act of terror must be condemned in the strongest terms. Only hurts the people of the City. Perpetrated by people with no regard for life. Grateful to our emergency services for their swift actions which helped ensure there have been no fatalities or injuries.”

Her party colleague and DUP MLA Gary Middleton tweeted, “PSNI have confirmed there were no injuries in the serious incident at Bishops Street. Vehicle hijacked with explosion outside courthouse. Disgraceful act of terrorism.”

Church services at nearby St Columb’s Cathedral have been cancelled, and services at St Augustine’s church have been moved.

The Reverend Ken Good, the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, said “the time has long since passed when such violence should have been consigned to history.”

The attack, he said, “was an act of utter recklessness which showed a callous disregard for the lives and safety of local citizens and visitors alike.

“It defies belief that anyone would place a bomb on a city-centre street, early on a Saturday evening, so close to people’s homes, churches, an hotel, sheltered accommodation, nearby pubs and a large car park. St Columb’s Cathedral and St Augustine’s Church - where a group of young people had been meeting yesterday evening - have both had to cancel their Sunday morning services while the Police carry out a follow-up security operation.

“I am extremely thankful that no one was injured - or worse - as a result of last night’s explosion.

“The people responsible for the attack must be reminded that their methods have been rejected not only by the vast majority of people in this community but by an overwhelming majority of people on this island.

“The attack was wrong. It is indefensible. It should never be repeated.

Fiachra McGuiness, son of the late former deputy first minister Martin McGuinness, tweeted: “Whoever is responsible for this bomb in our Beautiful City tonight, live in Planet hate”.

Independent unionist MLA and former minister for justice Claire Sugden said Derry and Northern Ireland “have suffered much and long left this behaviour behind. Hopefully no one is hurt.” –Additional reporting PA</s>Of the several dissident republican groups in existence, the New IRA is viewed by police as posing the most significant threat in Derry.

The PSNI’s “primary line of inquiry” is that the group was responsible for a car bomb which exploded outside the city’s courthouse on Saturday evening.

So-called “dissident” republicans reject the Belfast Agreement, and advocate the use of violence to achieve their aim of a united Ireland.

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

“Sean Treacy and his comrades struck a historic blow against the Crown forces in Tipperary,” the statement said. “It seems 100 years later Volunteer Sean Treacy’s comrades continue the unfinished revolution.”

The New IRA is believed to have been responsible for a number of attacks in Derry in recent years, including an attempt to kill a police officer by planting a bomb under his car outside his home in 2017. It claimed responsibility for firing shots and throwing grenades at police during nights of disturbances in Derry last summer.

Formed in 2012 following a merger between groups including the Real IRA and Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD), which was predominantly active in the northwest of Northern Ireland, it has been responsible for the murders of two prison officers.

David Black (52) was shot dead as he drove to work in Co Armagh in 2012, while Adrian Ismay died 11 days after a bomb exploded under his van in Belfast in 2016.

The New IRA is also involved in paramilitary-style shootings and assaults. In 2016, Michael McGibbon (33) bled to death after he was shot in the leg three times by this group.

The New IRA is just one of a number of dissident republican groupings. The PSNI puts the total number of dissident republican individuals at several hundred, operating across the New IRA, Continuity IRA, Irish Republican Movement (IRM), ONH and Arm na Poblachta, though the names and membership of such organisations are fluid.

There are different levels of involvement – from the passing on of information, to the smaller number of operatives willing to carry out a shooting or plant a bomb.

Last year, Assistant Chief Constable Stephen Martin – who is also responsible for the PSNI’s Paramilitary Crime Task Force – told The Irish Times the New IRA was viewed as “the most significant threat” in Derry.

He said the majority of its leadership was made up of people who were active in the Provisional IRA or INLA during the Troubles, with some younger members.

“Their ambition is not matched by their capability and their capacity,” he said. “That threat is small compared to what the Provisional IRA would have posed during the Troubles, but in today’s context it is a severe threat and we don’t take it lightly.”

In 2018, the numbers of paramilitary-style attacks by all dissident republican groups decreased compared to the previous year. The number of bombings fell from 29 to 17, according to the PSNI.

Derry’s courthouse, which has been targeted by dissident republicans before, is protected by high mesh fencing and bollards. In 2011, adjacent parking spaces were removed after a car bomb left by another dissident republican group exploded in a car park opposite.

Saturday’s bomb was described by police as a “crude and unstable device” which nevertheless represented a significant attempt to kill. It would have killed anyone who had been standing nearby, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said.

He said that the activity of – and level of support for – the New IRA fluctuated, but that this had been “a more significant attack” than in recent times.

“It is important for everyone to remember that they have very little community support either in this city or beyond.”</s>THE new IRA are prime suspects for Saturday's devastating Derry car bomb, with officers calling it a "very significant attempt to kill people in the community."

Police now believe armed men hijacked a pizza delivery car before planting a bomb in the vehicle and driving it through the city, Assistant Chief Constable Hamilton told Sky News. Two men, both in their 20s, have been arrested by the police. After hijacking the car on Quarry street, one man is said to have driven it to Bishop Street. A 15-minute timer was ticking as hundreds of people were evacuated from the blast area. The New IRA is also known as the Real Irish Republican Army. They are a designated terror group who aim to bring about a united Ireland.

Just before 8 pm Saturday, two police officers on a foot patrol were checking a suspicious vehicle as a bomb warning was received. Authorities were given a 15-minute warning to clear the city, which was full of weekend revellers. Hundreds of people were inside a hotel nearby, as well 150 people at a Masonic Hall and a number of children attending a youth club. The Police Service of Northern Ireland as well as firefighters and the ambulance service sealed off the scene close to a courthouse. Witnesses said they heard a loud bang and saw a large plume of smoke rising from the attack location after the detonation just after 8 pm. Forensic teams and a bomb disposal team were operating this morning in the area to investigate the remains of the car and the surrounding scene. The Police Service of Northern Ireland as well as firefighters and the ambulance service sealed off the scene close to a courthouse.

The PSNI's Assistant Chief Constable Mark 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.
A car bomb explodes outside a courthouse in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The bomb exploded as the area was being evacuated, and there were no injuries. Investigations currently point responsibility for the attack towards the New IRA dissident organisation.