Car bomb alert declared hoax 29.03.10

by Linda McGrory

An overnight car bomb alert in the border village of Bridgend was declared an elaborate hoax in the early hours of this morning.
The N13 main Letterkenny to Derry Road reopened shortly before 5am in time for early morning commuters.
Dozens of residents and businesses in Bridgend were evacuated after a bomb warning call was made to Buncrana garda station at 7.40pm on Sunday. Gardai were told they had one hour to evacuate the village.
At the same time a white transit van was abandoned in the car park of an amusement arcade, The Blackthorn, in Bridgend. The hazard lights were left on and a man was seen leaving the vehicle.
Earlier, it was reported that a van was hijacked by masked and arm men just across the Derry border, at Coshquin, one kilometre from Bridgend.
A device found in the van abandoned at Bridgend, was examined in the early hours by the Army Bomb Disposal Unit. The device was declared “an elaborate hoax” around 4.30am.
Buncrana Garda Supt William Johnston said: "The scene was preserved for a technical examination and the roads reopened at 4.45am.”
Local Sinn Féin councillor Pádraig MacLochlainn yesterday condemned the bomb alert that resulted in serious disruption and the evacuation of businesses and local families.
"I condemn in the strongest terms the mindless actions carried out by people with no regard for the citizens of Derry and Inishowen. The serious disruption caused by this rag-tag of individuals calling themselves republicans has succeeded only in inconveniencing local families and businesses in Bridgend. No blow for Irish freedom was achieved tonight," he said.
Meanwhile, the Army Bomb Disposal Unit was called from the scene at Bridgend to a security alert outside a so-called 'head shop', 20km away, in Letterkenny.
An item left outside the premises on Pearse Road was found to be an improvised explosive device and was made safe by the bomb disposal team shortly before 6am.
The area was declared safe and residents were allowed to return to their homes.
The overnight events and increased dissident activity in recent months has led to Senator Cecilia Keaveney calling for more co-operation between the Republic and the North in relation to speedier bomb disposal response times.
"A number of months ago I called for the reinstatement of the bomb squad facility in Finner Camp. I was told that the level of activity was lower in our area than in other places and so Athlone was a more central base for them," said Ms Keaveney.
"We want to see an end to dissident activity so that we no longer need to talk about bomb squads. But, in the meantime, we need to have a response that can enable devices to be dealt with in as speedy a manner as possible. Relying on Athlone is not a very quick process when we look at the geography."