Police have linked the discovery of a bomb near a roadside in Co Fermanagh to dissident republicans.
The device was found in a container in woodland outside the border village of Rosslea after reports of dissident republican activity.
A British army bomb disposal team examined the explosives found in a container at the side of the road and the operation to defuse the device will continue tomorrow. The area will remain sealed off overnight.
A PSNI spokesman described the bomb as "viable".
Chief Inspector Alwyn Barton said he had "no doubt" that had the device exploded when people were in the area it would have caused serious injury or death. "I believe this was an attempt to murder members of the local community police team in this border area," he said.
Condemning the bombers, he said the officers concerned were widely accepted and widely respected in the area. "This was obviously the work of some dissident republican grouping who are intent on committing murder and are not looking on the bright future that lies ahead of us in Northern Ireland," he said.
Mr Barton said members of the public could have stumbled on the bomb. "It is deplorable that any individuals are prepared to place a device in such a situation where anyone - man , woman or child - can be seriously injured or indeed killed."