Pipe bomb found in car stopped by police spike strip after south Armagh chase: Discovery sparked security alert
Police found a pipe bomb in a car stopped by stinger spikes in Co Armagh, sparking a security alert that sealed off traffic for several hours.
The vehicle, a white Toyota Land Cruiser, fled the PSNI in Lurgan in the early hours of Wednesday morning, resulting in a high-speed chase.
Officers saw the car on Lough Road in the town, and checks of police systems indicated it wasn’t insured. When signalled to stop, the vehicle sped off. With the PSNI in pursuit, the Land Cruiser travelled at high speed towards the south-west.
In Keady, a small town near Northern Ireland’s border with the Republic, police deployed a stinger spike strip that brought it to a halt. The occupants of the vehicle, two men aged 22 and 37, were arrested.
A search of the car revealed a suspicious device that Ammunition Technical Officers declared to be a viable pipe bomb, sparking a security alert that shut off areas around Dundrum Road, Granemore and Lower Darkley Road.
Shortly after 7pm on Wednesday night, the PSNI’s Detective Inspector Danielle Moffett said the device had been made safe, and the security alert was now over.
“All roads in the area have now reopened and the arrested men remain in police custody,” she added.
“Our investigation is ongoing, and we would appeal to anyone with information to contact us on 101, quoting reference 67 22/10/25. You can also report online at www.psni.police.uk/makeareport
“Alternatively, information can be provided to [the charity] Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org”