Man (32) arrested over Strabane pipe bomb attacks released

He was arrested under the Terrorism Act by detectives from the PSNI’s Terrorism Investigation Unit on Monday.

The man was arrested on suspicion of two pipe bomb attacks in the town in 2017.

He was taken to Musgrave Serious Crime Suite for questioning before later being released.

Speaking at the time of the arrest, Detective Inspector Andrew Hamlin said: “As part of our ongoing investigation into dissident republican activity, a man was arrested earlier today in connection to two pipe bomb attacks in the Drumrallagh estate in Strabane in July 2017 and in Melmount Villas in August 2017.

“The suspect has also been arrested in connection to a hoax pipe bomb which was left at the Footbridge in the town in March this year which caused serious disruption to the area.

“One of the attacks involved a device being thrown through the bedroom window of a home where an older person was sleeping. Thankfully, it didn’t explode or it could have caused serious harm. In the other reckless attack a viable pipe bomb type device was left in a residential area causing people to be evacuated from their homes.

“We are committed to disrupting the activity of the dissident republicans who carry out these types of attacks. They clearly have no regard for the safety of the people living in Strabane and we know that the vast majority of people within the local community are disgusted with their actions. We will continue to dismantle these individuals with their twisted ideologies and free communities from the threat they pose.”