These are the pictures that show a botched dissident republican ambush attempt on police in Co Fermanagh.
he Belfast Telegraph’s exclusive images show live ammunition from a high powered rifle, left behind by the Continuity IRA when they fled the scene of the planned attack in the Wattlebridge Road area of Newtownbutler. Also pictured is the suspected hoax device used to lure officers into the area.
As the alert continued into its second week, police said yesterday they are dealing with a “complex and difficult” operation.
Ammo find: The scene in Wattle Bridge where a suspect device and ammunition were discovered by police
Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph
In a statement last week, the CIRA claimed they attempted to draw officers to the location for a gun attack.
Yesterday police continued to comb the area, with the alert expected to drag on into the weekend.
PSNI Chief Superintendent Andy Freeburn thanked the community for their patience over recent days.
“From speaking with the local community, it is clear that the people responsible for this disruption have no support,” he said.
“Together with partners on both sides of the border we have been working long hours to progress this complex and difficult operation to a safe conclusion. At this stage it is not possible to say when we will complete the search but we anticipate that it will run at least into tomorrow.”
The disruption started on January 13 when police responded to reports of a suspicious device being left in the area.
The CIRA claimed they had opened fire on a police helicopter on the evening of January 14 – a claim the PSNI denied.
Ammo find: The scene in Wattle Bridge where a suspect device and ammunition were discovered by police
Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph
On Tuesday officers said if the claims were true they believed a privately owned helicopter flying in the area on Thursday evening may have been targeted by the group. The helicopter did not sustain any damage and those on board were unaware it was being fired at.
Mark Lindsay, the chairman of the Police Federation in Northern Ireland, condemned the attempt on the lives of officers.
“We know these republican groups are continuously looking for ways to murder the men and women I represent. Police officers have to be cautious and alert on a continuous basis. There can be no let-up in vigilance,” he said. “In their warped thinking, killing or maiming an officer may be seen to advance a political agenda. They couldn’t be further from the truth or more detached from society.
“A severe terrorist threat is the reality of what police officers have to deal with daily and thankfully we have been able to thwart them in their evil ambitions through a combination of expertise, patience, meticulous procedures and investigations.”
First Minister Arlene Foster said those behind the attack were “crazed political ideologues”, telling them to “back off”.
Ammo find: The scene in Wattle Bridge where a suspect device and ammunition were discovered by police
Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph
Sinn Fein MP Michelle Gildernew described the attack as “futile and pathetic”.
“Armed groups have no place in our society, they must disband immediately and allow our communities to progress in peace,” the Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP said.
Newtownbutler, situated near the border with Co Monaghan, has previously seen dissident republican activity, and this is not the first attempt to lure police to the Wattlebridge Road area.
While responding to a security alert in August 2019, police and Army Technical Officers narrowly escaped injury after inspecting a hoax device before a bomb exploded on the main A3 Cavan Road.
Police have said the CIRA were also behind a booby trap device in Craigavon in July 2019 and an explosive device on a heavy goods vehicle in Lurgan in January 2020.