'IRA' claim responsibility for bomb attack on Londonderry courthouse

In a statement provided to our sister paper, the 'Derry Journal', the group calling itself the ‘IRA’ said it was responsible for placing the car bomb which detonated shortly after 8:10 pm in Bishop Street on January 19.

READ STATEMENT HEREThe bomb was described by police as a ‘lethal device’ which caused widespread disruption in the city centre and minor damage was caused to bollards outside the courthouse and to windows in the nearby Masonic Hall.

A number of young people walked past the bomb minutes before it exploded and police said it was ‘sheer luck no one was killed or maimed.’

The bomb was widely condemned by political and community representatives who described it as ‘reckless.’