Security alert follows attempted hijacking in Derry

Jonathan McCambridge, PA

A security alert was issued in Derry on Saturday following an incident in which armed and masked men attempted to hijack a car.

Officers from the Police Services of Northern Ireland (PSNI) attended the scene where a suspicious device was discovered in the Corrody Road area of the city on Saturday morning.

It followed reports of an attempted hijacking in the Hollymount Park area at approximately 9.35pm on Friday.

We are currently in attendance at a security alert in the Corrody Road area, this follows a report of an attempted hijacking on Friday February 17th. We are appealing for information. pic.twitter.com/cgdEzsJf5L

— Police Derry City and Strabane (@PSNIDCSDistrict) February 18, 2023

Detective Chief Inspector Logue said: “Police received a report that a delivery driver had been approached by three masked men who tried to hijack his car.

“The masked men were armed with what is believed to be knives and a firearm.

“The suspects ran off in the direction of Corrody Road where the suspect device was located close to a sportsground.

“The impact to the delivery driver and wider community is plain to see, with a large-scale community safety operation and investigation now in place and ongoing.

“Our investigation is under way and we are appealing to anyone who was in the area and who noticed any suspicious activity to contact us.”

Police are also appealing for anyone with dash-cam footage to make it available to investigating officers.