CIRA claim responsibility for bomb by phoning newspaper

According to the Fermanagh-based Impartial Reporter, someone called the paper at lunchtime today, also laying claim to other apparent hoax attacks.

There have been five security alerts in the far west of Northern Ireland in the last week, only one of which – the bomb by the Enniskillen shoreline – has led to the discovery of a genuine threat.

The Impartial Reporter said the caller today told them that on Sunday the “North Fermanagh CIRA – on the direction of Continuity Army Council – carried out an attack on Enniskillen Police Station”.

The PSNI earlier this week said they had investigated a claim of shots fired at the station, and found nothing to substantiate it.

But the message to the newspaper said that “volunteers fired high-velocity rounds from an improvised explosive device from the shore at Cornagrade across the river directly at the station”.

It is not clear what that actually means.

The caller also said that a hoax device in the Newtownbutler/Clones Road area of Fermanagh had been “a military diversion”.

The message then said that CIRA are “not here to harm civilians”.

There had been another report of a bomb by the shore in Enniskillen on Monday, at the same time as the shots were fired, but nothing was found.

On Wednesday, police once again were summoned to the shoreline, and this time they found a live device.

And today in Omagh, a security alert unfolded in the Culmore Park area, while police hunted for a suspect device.

In response to the claim of responsibility by the Continuity IRA for the security alert at Riverside, Enniskillen on 17 March 2021, Chief Superintendent Andy Freeburn, South Area Commander said: “If this claim is to be believed, it further illustrates the wanton disregard that Dissident Republicans have for the public. Leaving any form of an explosive device at a publicly accessible beauty spot was reckless and reprehensible.

“The incident remains under investigation and we will tirelessly pursue anyone who seeks to harm the public or our officers and seek to bring offenders before the courts.

“I would again appeal for anyone with information to contact police on 101 quoting reference number 1242 of 16/03/21

The CIRA is perhaps best known for murdering constable Stephen Carroll in Craigavon in 2009.

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