Viable device, County Armagh
24 Jun 2010
At a press facility on Thursday 24 July Armagh Area Commander Chief Inspector Ken Mawhinney confirmed that a device located on the Castleblayney Road of Keady was viable.
He said: “We now believe that this device has been at this location since Saturday evening. We initially received a call at 12.30am during the early hours of Sunday morning from a member of the public who said a section of fencing had been set alight in a field near his home. It was dealt with by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, however we believe that the fire may have been started maliciously in an effort to lure police into the area.
"We then received information about a call made to a local business premises in Keady on Monday evening to state that a device had been left near a border area. We began investigating however due to the non specific detail of the location, we did not find anything suspicious.
"A report was then received on Tuesday morning that a local farmer had located a suspect device on a laneway on the Castleblayney Road.
"The area was immediately cordoned off on both sides of the border and nearby homes evacuated. ATO was tasked and this device has now been made safe.
"This device has caused untold disruption to the local community. Six families had to be evacuated and have been out of their homes since Tuesday and it is those people who have been most affected by this. We expect them to return to their homes shortly and would like to thank them for their ongoing patience and support. I have nothing but praise for their cooperation.
"Let me be clear from the outset and absolutely condemn this incident. This device was designed for one thing and one thing only – to kill or cause serious injury to police officers. The people responsible for planting this device and leaving it on this public road exposed to members of the local community for almost 48 hours showed absolutely no regard for human life. They do not care who they hurt and simply want to drag people back to the dark days of the past.
"The Police Service, like the vast majority of the community, is determined not to let that happen. These criminals have no role to play in this community and have absolutely no support from the ordinary decent people living here in Northern Ireland. "Despite the ongoing dissident threat, officers commit themselves daily to working in the community to provide them with the level of policing and support they deserve and we would ask everyone to work together to achieve this.
"We will continue to take a robust stance against all dissident republican terrorist activity. We are confident that every right minded member of society will continue to work with us and to give us the information we need to put these people out of business once and for all and in doing so, make Northern Ireland a safer place," he said.
Detectives want to speak to anyone who was on the Castleblayney Road and who may have witnessed any vehicles or persons acting suspiciously.
Anyone with information should contact detectives on 0845 600 8000, alternatively information about crime can be passed anonymously to the Crimestoppers charity by calling 0800 555 111.
