Church youth group evacuated in Londonderry and church services cancelled

The device was detonated at 8:10pm on Saturday on Bishop Street, leaving a car on fire, and has been called ‘utterly reckless’ by police. 

No one was injured and the attack has been condemned by politicians such as the DUP’s leader Arlene Foster and the Mayor John Boyle. 

The Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said hundreds of people, including hotel guests and children from a church youth club were evacuated from the area.

“At around 7.55pm last night officers on patrol in Bishop Street spotted a suspicious vehicle and were making checks when, around five minutes later, information was received that a device had been left at the courthouse,” he said.

“We moved immediately to begin evacuating people from nearby buildings including hundreds of hotel guests, 150 people from the Masonic Hall and a large number of children from a church youth club.”

The youth were from the local Catholic church, who posted on Facebook that their services would be cancelled on Sunday morning, saying: “Morning services at St Augustine’s Church and St Columb’s Cathedral have been disrupted as a result of last night’s car bombing in the centre of Londonderry.

“The Bishop Street Within area remains cordoned off while the Police carry out a follow-up operation. The Archdeacon of Derry, Ven. Robert Miller, has invited parishioners of both churches to…