Fourth man arrested over attempted murder of police officers in Northern Ireland

A fourth man has been arrested by police in Northern Ireland investigating the attempted murder of two police officers in Co Tyrone.

The 38-year-old man was arrested in the Strabane area on Saturday.

Police previously arrested three men, aged 36, 36 and 28, under the Terrorism Act after conducting a number of searches in Strabane on Friday night.

They are being questioned by detectives at the Serious Crime Suite at Musgrave Police Station in Belfast.

The two officers had been on patrol on Thursday at Mount Carmel Heights when a bomb was detonated at the side of their vehicle, prompting police to pursue a “strong line of inquiry” into whether the New IRA were involved.

PSNI assistant chief constable Bobby Singleton said the location of the incident in Strabane and previous attacks made the involvement of the dissident republican splinter group a possibility.

Neither officer was injured in the attack, which caused a major security alert in the area, affecting more than 1,000 residents and leaving some children unable to get to school on Friday.

Police have said they have discovered what could be a command wire for the improvised explosive device during follow-up searches.

Mr Singleton said the officers who had been conducting routine patrols over the ongoing antisocial behaviour in the area were left “shaken when they saw a flash and heard a loud bang.

He said PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne met local officers in Strabane to offer his support.

Political leaders in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland condemned the attack.