Suspected firearm found following alert in Co Tyrone

Police said the security alert in the Cookstown area ended on Monday evening.

A number of properties were evacuated in the Drum Road area after officers received a report of a suspicious object shortly before 10am on Monday.

A section of Drum Road was closed for a time.

Inspector Hughes said: “A suspected firearm was recovered from the scene and removed for further examination.

“We have now been able to reopen the road and residents have returned to their homes while our investigation continues.”

Anyone with any information about the security alert is asked to contact police on 101.

Meanwhile, detectives are investigating a claim that Arm na Poblachta was responsible for a viable bomb being left outside a police station.

The device was left in a hijacked vehicle outside Waterside police station in Londonderry on the evening of Sunday, November 20.

During the incident a delivery driver was hijacked by three masked men and made to drive his car to the station, where it was abandoned.

It sparked a major security alert which led to some children not being able to get to school on Monday, November 21.

Police initially said the suspicious object left in the car was an elaborate hoax but later confirmed that it was a viable explosive device.

Detective Chief Inspector Logue said: “Detectives from the Terrorism Investigation Unit are investigating a claim of responsibility that Arm na Poblachta (ANP) was responsible for a vehicle hijacking and subsequent security alert in the Waterside area of Derry/Londonderry on Sunday November 20.

“We are keeping an open mind and the investigation continues.”

The security attack was widely condemned by politicians in Northern Ireland.

The incident came just days after police said they believed the New IRA could be responsible for an incident in which two officers escaped injury when their car was targeted in a bomb attack in Strabane, Co Tyrone.

Anyone with information about the incident in Londonderry is asked to contact police on 101.