Infants saved moments before vehicle bomb blast at law enforcement facility.

Forensics teams combed through the aftermath of an explosion outside the Dunmurry police station in west Belfast, accompanied by diligent sniffer dogs. It was a chaotic scene, with debris scattered in all directions and a nearby van engulfed in flames. But amidst the chaos, a miraculous event occurred - two babies were rescued by officers just seconds before a bomb exploded in a car parked near the station.

The residents of Dunmurry were evacuated from their homes the previous night after a gas cylinder device was discovered in the boot of a delivery vehicle. The police, upon spotting the abandoned vehicle outside the station after 10:50pm, quickly activated the facility's "attack alarm". Two babies were being taken to safety just as the car bomb went off, sending debris in all directions and engulfing the van in flames.

Miraculously, no one was reported injured in the incident. The severity of the situation was not lost on anyone, as an attempted murder investigation was launched by counter-terrorism police. The attack was universally condemned by political leaders in Northern Ireland, with first minister Michelle O'Neill stating that those responsible spoke for no one.

Deputy chief constable Bobby Singleton expressed his thoughts for all those affected by the cowardly attack, including the delivery driver, residents unable to return to their homes, and the brave officers and their families who were shaken by the ordeal. He reassured the community that the Police Service of Northern Ireland will not be deterred by such senseless and reckless attacks. Despite the progress made by society, there are still those who seek to drag them backward, but the police will continue to work hand in hand with the community to protect them from harm.

This incident came just a month after a similar attack, where a pizza delivery driver was forced at gunpoint to transport an explosive device to Lurgan police station. The bomb failed to detonate, but it was attributed to dissident republicans. Mr.

Singleton acknowledged the similarities between the two incidents and confirmed that the New IRA, a paramilitary dissident republican group formed from successor groups to the original provisional IRA, was behind the attack. He also noted that the small size of the bomb made up for its recklessness, as there was no warning given to the police before it exploded. The chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, Brendan Mullan, described the attack as a calculated attempt to cause maximum harm in a residential area.

The New IRA, responsible for a series of attacks in Northern Ireland and the UK, has been a constant threat. In 2017, Irish police foiled a massive attack by the New IRA after discovering six kilos of semtex in Dublin. In 2019, they claimed responsibility for sending five suspect packages to various locations in England and Scotland, including London City Airport and Heathrow.

The group even planned to disrupt Joe Biden's visit to Belfast in 2023 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The recent incident, where a pizza delivery driver was forced to transport a bomb to a police station in Lurgan, is a disturbing reminder of the group's violent tactics. Liam Kelly, chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, called the attack "the definition of madness" and condemned those responsible as "a throwback to the dark ages of the Troubles", a reference to the conflict in the region prior to the Good Friday Agreement.

The incident has caused great upset and generated widespread revulsion, and it has no place in a society committed to peace.