A devastating bomb attack by republican dissidents has been avoided after a van containing 500lb of home-made explosives was abandoned in Co Donegal, following a car chase to the Border by the RUC.
Security sources believe the bomb was destined for today's Apprentice Boys parade in Derry city centre. Around 30,000 bandsmen and loyalists are due to take part in the march. However, dissident republican sources said last night they believed the bomb was destined for an attack on a British military base in the city.
An RUC spokesman said: "We have prevented a major bomb attack which could well have cost lives and caused massive damage to property."
No paramilitary group has so far claimed responsibility, but suspicion has fallen on the "Real IRA", which is expanding in Derry. The Continuity IRA also has a presence in the area. Security sources last night said the dissident groups were a "continuing force" along the Border and were gaining recruits.
Sinn Fein has strongly condemned those behind the planned attack and called on them to disband. The device was packed into two milk churns and was "in the final stages of preparation", according to a Garda source.
The alert started when the van crashed through a police checkpoint at the junction of Bishop Street and Foyle Road in the Brandywell around 8 p.m. on Thursday. RUC officers gave chase as the van was driven along the Letterkenny Road but were forced to stop when it crossed the border into Killea, Co Donegal.
The RUC in Derry informed gardai about the incident, and the van was found abandoned on a country road linking Killea and Carrigans.
The bomb was defused by Irish Army bomb experts at about 4 a.m. yesterday. Two families were evacuated from their homes during the operation and the area was declared safe five hours later.
Gardai have carried out house-to-house inquiries and follow-up searches in an attempt to find the van-driver. Supt Jim Gallagher from Letterkenny said: "This is a deeply worrying development. We are delighted that the co-operation between the RUC and ourselves has probably saved lives. We don't want to speculate just yet who may have been involved.
"The possibility that dissident republicans were responsible is one line of inquiry, but we are keeping our options open at this stage. It is a heinous act to drive around a city with a 500lb bomb in a crowded area."
An RUC spokesman in Derry said intelligence information indicated that Derry was to have been the bombers' intended target. "We are satisfied it was intended for Derry city.
"It is outrageous when many people have worked so hard to promote peace and achieve a new mood in the run-up to the Apprentice Boys parade that such a small unrepresentative gang should be planning further death and misery."
The Sinn Fein Mayor of Derry, Mr Cathal Crumley, said "I don't believe there is a republican on this island who believes in these tactics. I call on this group to disband. They have absolutely no credibility and no support from republicans."
The SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, described those responsible as "fascist" and said an "absolutely awful situation" would have prevailed if the bomb had exploded. "Those responsible are a tiny minority. They are the enemies of the people of this country."
The DUP security spokesman, Mr Gregory Campbell, said the British government should halt all demilitarisation plans while republicans continued to make bombs and carry out attacks.
"It is time republican terrorists were dealt with by the government in a way which will discourage new groups being formed," he said.
The North's Security Minister, Mr Adam Ingram, said: "We are not complacent. Dissident groups pose a real threat and we will continue to work closely with the Irish Government to protect the public."
The Alliance Party congratulated the security forces but a spokesman added: "The threat from dissident republicans is very real. All sections of the community, including pro-Agreement republicans in Sinn Fein, must pass on information to the security forces."