Shots fired at PSNI in Derry

A PSNI Land Rover was raked with gunfire in a suspected attack by republican militants in Derry late on Tuesday, according to reports.

The shooting happened in the Bogside area in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The PSNI said the Land Rover was struck at twice as it drove along Westland Street close to the city’s Bogside Inn shortly before 1am.

A PSNI spokesman said the vehicle’s bulletproof glass had been damaged but had survived the attack. The vehicle was on a routine patrol at the time.

The spokesman said: “The nature of the damage to a window of the Land Rover was established only after a detailed ballistic examination.”

The incident is the first confirmed attack on the PSNI in Derry for some time.

SDLP assembly member Colum Eastwood described the attack as “shocking”, while Sinn Fein’s Raymond McCartney said the gun attack in such a built-up area was “reckless”.

The attack was also condemned by the Police Federation chairman, Terry Spence who said it was only the Land Rover’s bulletproof glass that saved the driver of the vehicle.

G4S TARGETED

Meanwhile, the ‘new IRA’ has reiterated a public threat to the G4S security group over its role in operating electronic tags applied to republican prisoners released on conditional bail. It claimed responsibility for two letter bombs sent to to G4S offices in England and locally.

As well as handling tags, the firm also has contracts to provide security staff to local courts and other buildings including PSNI stations.

Earlier this month the ‘IRA’ claimed responsibility for firing up to five shots into an unoccupied car being used by two employees of the security

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