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DETECTIVES FROM THE PSNI’s Terrorism Investigation Unit have released a description of a “suspicious person” who was seen running away from the scene of an explosion in Co Armagh on Friday night.
At around midnight on Friday night police received a report from a member of the public that a loud bang or explosion had been heard in the area of Tullygally Road in Craigavon.
A short time later, a Belfast based newspaper received a call claiming a mortar had been fired at police in the same area.
When they arrived at the scene responding crews located a viable and deadly device close to a public bus stop.
“I believe the incident was staged in order to lure police into the area where a booby-trap device was placed and designed to explode if moved or touched,” Detective Superintendent Richard Campbell today.
This was clearly designed to kill anyone who lifted or moved the device.
Detective Campbell appealed to anyone who witnessed unusual activity in an outbuilding or garage in recent days or weeks to get in touch with the PSNI.
He also appealed to anyone who saw any unusual activity or vehicles acting suspiciously in the area of Tullygally Road on Friday night or in recent days or weeks to get in touch.
On Saturday a PSNI spokesperson said it believes that dissident republicans were responsible for the incident.
‘Suspicious person’
Campbell released a description of a “suspicious person” who was seen running away from the area of the bus stop at around 11.45pm on Friday night
The suspect is described as being between 5’6” and 5’9” tall, of slim or medium build and believed to be aged in their late teens or early 20s.
The person was wearing a light grey or beige long-sleeved hooded top with the hood up and their face covered.
They are reported to have made their way from the bus stop into open ground that borders the Tullygally Road, Aldervale flats and Drumglass Estate in an area known locally as the Black Path.
“I would appeal to anyone who saw this individual in the area or in the wider Craigavon area on Friday night or early Saturday morning to please contact my detectives,” Campbell said.
Anyone who may be able to help the investigation is being urged to contact the PSNI and ask to speak to detectives in the Terrorism Investigation Unit in Castlereagh or to contact UK Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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“I believe the incident was staged in order to lure police into the area where a booby-trap device was placed and designed to explode if moved or touched,” Detective Superintendent Richard Campbell today.
I believe the incident was staged.
@Artugal: why?
@James Wallace: Timing.
@Artugal: Please outline your policing credentials Artugal.
@Clifford Brennan: I didn’t realise commenting on the Journal was official business…
@Artugal: staged…it should be put up for an Academy Awards Oscar..who was the leading actor..??
@Artugal: Its not. I was hoping to understand why your beliefs are at odds with the detective superintendents, and how you reached them.
@Clifford Brennan: that’s not what you asked
@Artugal: I apologise if i wasn’t clear enough, I thought it would have been inferred in my original reply. Feel free to outline your evidence for this being staged, now that we’ve hopefully cleared up any misunderstandings.
@Clifford Brennan: Clifford, look at the PSNI over the past several years..The top posts are held by previous RUC members and many old RUC officers either work with or alongside it..The RUC and the PSNI are no strangers to bare faced controversy, many nationalists see no difference between both..Collusion, Sectarian Bias, political policing …just last week the PSNI bargained directly with the UVF in East Belfast and allowed an illegal sectarian on fire in the middle of public property..I wouldn’t trust the PSNI to tell me the day of the week least alone bow to their judgement on this incident in Craigavon…It’s very funny how these solitary incidents seem to stick their heads up in times of rising political smoke …smoke generated by the likes of Brexit, Blowjob Johnson and the DUP…Open your eyes Clifford, I’m from North Belfast..the very dogs on the streets know about the PSNI…
@Artugal:
You have a very vivid imagination. It is completely inconceivable that this incident was staged. What possible reason would the PSNI have to do that? It has no impact on the the current political stand off, and has no positive impact on the reputation of the PSNI. If they has stage it, the the risk of doing it and being caught would be catastrophic to their reputation.
No reasonable person could possibly conclude that this incident was staged.
@CrabaRev: I never said the PSNI staged it.
@Artugal: Who do you believe staged it?
This whole thing I find very very suspicious..A member of the public here’s a bang, straight away it’s dissident activity according to the PSNI, a spurious call is made to the press, they find the parts of a so called device, and now they have the names of the suspects…WOW ! ..what police force the PSNI , all achieved without batting an eyelid…By the way, Mr Blowjob Johnson, can we have some of that free imaginary cash you are throwing about for our security overtime budget…never mind all those files that go missing and scandals that have rocked this force, sure we never talked to the UVF last week, and it’s only community policing in North and west Belfast that we are doing, not intelligence gathering..god sake you would think we were a sectarian, bigoted force the way some of them Fenian’s go on…
Was he blonde a bit overweight and in a new job recently
One of the friendliest, mixed religious (even with a wonderful mixed school) quiet areas in Craigavon with the nicest people you could meet…….hope ye are very proud of yourselves! May you rot in hell!
@Cormac McCann: By all means Cormac…but I think if you looked a little closer into this thing, you might find that your ‘rot in hell’ remark pointed towards the perpetrator may end up being pointed at the PSNI….
@CJ Stewart: what ever you think cj!
That looks like a launch tube, battery and timing device, so where’s the actual mortar. ? Not much chance of it being far away if it was launched horizontally at ground level. Very dodgy.
@John Brendan Mullen: Just needs to look viable, the Gardai used to do it up in Donegal in the 90s .If they actually found real armaments they split them up into multiple finds, easy promotions all round.
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