Police Investigate 'Viable Postal Device' Found at Ebrington Hotel in Londonderry at 15:20 GMT on Tuesday

According to the BBC UK, police suspect that dissident republicans could be responsible for a 'viable postal device' that was delivered to a hotel in Londonderry at 15:20 GMT on Tuesday. Ammunition Technical Officers (ATO) were dispatched to the hotel located at Ebrington Square in the Waterside after the package was found, and they conducted a controlled explosion on the device before it was taken away for forensic examination.

PSNI Chief Supt Gillian Kearney characterized the incident as 'shameful and utterly abhorrent,' stating that those who carried it out 'clearly do not care who or what they harm.' Kearney noted that the investigation is in its initial stages and the PSNI is pursuing several lines of inquiry, one of which is the possibility of dissident republican involvement. She also stated that the incident constituted a serious and reckless act that has caused trauma to everyone involved.

Some sources suggest the incident was intended to cause maximum disruption and may be connected to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) having a presence at a careers event at the hotel in September.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council councillor Grace Uí Niallais expressed her support for the staff and anyone affected, describing the event as a serious and reckless incident that has undoubtedly caused trauma to all involved, while looking forward to the upcoming Halloween celebrations. Justice Minister Naomi Long also condemned the event as 'abhorrent,' noting that the viable device was placed near families and young people celebrating Halloween, and that the perpetrators showed no regard for the community or businesses impacted.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Sir Chris Bryant described the event as 'very worrying' and 'absolutely despicable,' expressing hope that those involved would be identified and face the full extent of the law.

Ulster Unionist councillor Darren Guy, who chairs the local policing and community safety partnership, believes the incident was timed to cause maximum disruption and suggested a possible link to the MoD having a stall at a careers event at the hotel in September.

Sinn Féin councillor Christopher Jackson stated that it was premature to speculate on any connection between the alert and the jobs fair, calling the act a 'disgusting attack on the city and the people of Derry' with no justification for the action.

Foyle SDLP MP Colum Eastwood told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme that the incident must have been terrifying for the public near the hotel, describing the viable device as frightening for hotel staff and visitors, including the children at the funfair.

Julie Middleton, a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member for Foyle, told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme on Wednesday that she was 'deeply disturbed and disgusted,' asserting that leaving a viable device in Ebrington Square, where people were working, families were out, and tourists were visiting, was designed to cause harm.

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) described sending a viable device to a hotel as 'the height of madness.' PFNI chair Liam Kelly commented that if the device had detonated, the damage could not have been known, and that innocent lives were put at risk by 'reckless thugs' who intended to 'kill and maim,' though he noted the futility of their efforts to destabilize society.