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Post by Frenchie on Aug 3, 2010 9:02:18 GMT 1
A car bomb has exploded outside a police station in Londonderry.
It is understood a taxi driver was forced to bring the device to Strand Road police station early on Tuesday by two men armed with a gun.
No-one was injured in the explosion, which happened near an old people's home and an apartment block.
The explosion at about 0320 BST damaged the police station's perimeter wall and a number of nearby businesses. Police said a telephoned warning was given.
SDLP Mayor of Derry Colm Eastwood blamed dissident republicans for the attack.
"There seems to be a lot of wreckage; the car is completely destroyed and it seems businesses across the street have been destroyed as well," he said.
"Police didn't even have time to evacuate a nursing home or apartments right beside the police station.
"We are very lucky today not to be talking about fatalities. It's an attack not just on the police but the entire community."
Conor Kelly, who lives in an apartment block near the police station, said it was a terrifying experience.
"I was still awake and reading when I heard an enormous noise like thunder and saw debris flying past my window," he said.
"There were no alarms or attempts to evacuate the building."
He said the front of a fast food outlet had been "ripped to shreds" and other buildings had windows blown out.
In May, a mortar bomb was fired at the same police station. It struck a wall but failed to explode.
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