Londonderry car bomb: New IRA is accused of carrying out attack

Newly-released footage shows the moment a hijacked pizza van exploded in Londonderry in a blast which detectives have blamed on the New IRA.

Two men were arrested today after the van was stolen by two masked men and exploded in a 'ball of fire' outside a court house on Saturday night.

Detectives arrested a further two men on Sunday evening, aged 34 and 42.

Political leaders called the explosion an 'act of terror' and warned that the 'dark days of the past' could return to the province, as police pointed the finger at the New IRA, a dissident republican group they called 'small and unrepresentative'.

The dramatic CCTV footage released today shows the car bursting violently into flame, bringing carnage to a quiet city centre street.

No-one was believed to be injured but the attack, which prompted an evacuation of the area, has sparked fears of a return to the terrorist violence of the 20th century.

DUP leader Arlene Foster called the blast a 'pointless act of terror' while the Alliance party said it was 'an attack on everything we have worked towards over the past 20 years'.

Today Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said: 'Our main line of inquiry is against the New IRA.

'The New IRA, like most dissident republican groups in Northern Ireland, is small, largely unrepresentative, and determined to drag people back to somewhere they don't want to be.

'Fortunately it didn't kill anybody and fortunately it didn't cause widespread damage, but clearly it was a very significant attempt to kill people in the local community.'

Describing the attack, he said: 'A bomb was put in that car, driven at least half a mile to outside the court house on Bishop Street and around three minutes later a phone call went in to the Samaritans in West Midlands in England, which was then passed to West Midlands Police who then contacted us.

'In the intervening minutes we had already found the car and started to evacuate the area. At around 8.09pm, the bomb detonated.'

One local resident, Greg McLaughlin, told BBC News the explosion had shaken his windows.

He said: 'It was very, very loud. I knew right away this was a bomb. We knew it was quite close.

'You could see the ball of fire on the street. It sounded to me like a very significant blast. I haven't heard anything like it in Derry for quite a while.'

DUP leader Ms Foster said on Twitter: 'This pointless act of terror must be condemned in the strongest terms.

'Only hurts the people of the City. Perpetrated by people with no regard for life.'

Alliance party leader Naomi Long said: 'I, like many in the community tonight, am completely appalled and disgusted at this murderous attack.

'[It is] an attack on our peace, our prosperity and everything we have worked towards over the past 20 years, and an attack on the people of Derry-Londonderry.

'It is absolutely sickening that there are still people willing to bring violence to our streets and risk people's lives and livelihoods.

'The people of Derry~Londonderry and of Northern Ireland are united in condemning this vile attack: those determined to drag us back to the dark days of the past can and must never be successful.'

Sinn Fein have also condemned the explosion, saying: 'This incident has shocked the local community. In particular, there are many elderly residents who live in the area who have been alarmed by this incident.

'Thankfully no one appears to have been injured in this incident. Derry is a city moving forward and no one wants this type of incident. It is not representative of the city.'

Today police described the attack as 'unbelievably reckless' as forensic officers took to the scene.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said: 'Thankfully the attackers failed to kill or injure any members of the local community out socialising and enjoying the best of what the city has to offer.

'The people responsible for this attack have shown no regard for the community or local businesses. They care little about the damage to the area and the disruption they have caused.'

Police sealed off the scene as they responded to the blast and checked a second suspicious car, saying they were dealing with an 'extensive crime scene'.

Representatives of the retail and hospitality industries in Londonderry have also condemned the car bomb attack in the city as 'shameful'.

Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts described the attack as 'totally shameful and despicable'.

'Derry city centre traders have been working extremely har