Irish Police Find Car Bomb in Ferry Line
Police intercepted a powerful bomb in a car at the main ferry port here Thursday and blamed republican guerrillas trying to sabotage Northern Ireland peace talks.
“We have reason to believe it was some element of a republican paramilitary group,” Chief Supt. Patrick Culhane told Irish media. The republican movement is seeking to end British rule over Northern Ireland.
The 980-pound homemade bomb, found hidden in a car waiting to board a ferry to the Welsh port of Holyhead, was one of the largest ever found in Ireland, he said.
The car’s male driver and two men and two women in a second car waiting for the ferry were questioned under state security laws.
The discovery came at a sensitive time in negotiations aimed at ending decades of conflict between Protestants and Catholics in the British province. Negotiators have until next Thursday to meet a deadline imposed by former U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell, chairman of the peace talks, for reaching an agreement.
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