BELFAST: Two men were being held in custody in Northern Ireland yesterday after being arrested over the attempted murder of a police officer. The men, aged 34 and 25, were arrested on Monday in the Belfast area, said a spokeswoman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

The targeted officer found the viable device underneath his car in east Belfast on Sunday. Army bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion. A group calling itself the “New IRA” (Irish Republican Army) claimed responsibility for the attack.

“Detectives investigating the attempted murder of a police officer on the Upper Newtownards Road in east Belfast on Sunday have arrested two males aged 25 and 34,” a PSNI spokeswoman said. “These arrests were made in the Belfast area.

AFP