Hijacked car driven to Northern Irish police station contained improvised bomb, police say

BELFAST, March 31 (Reuters) - Irish nationalist militants ​were ⁠likely behind the hijacking ​and placing of an improvised explosive device in a food ​delivery ‌vehicle that was ordered to drive to a Northern ⁠Irish police station before the device ⁠was made safe, ​police said on Tuesday.

The fast food delivery driver was forced to stop by two masked men at ​around ‌2230 local time on Monday and drive to the police station in Lurgan, around 30 kilometres from Belfast. He escaped from the car ​and alerted security staff that the hijackers had placed ‌an object in the boot, police said.

Over 100 homes nearby were evacuated ‌while a controlled explosion was carried out to make the device safe.

"Our investigation is in its ​early stages but we believe it's highly likely that dissident republican ‌groups are responsible," Police Service of Northern Ireland Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said in a statement.

"We ⁠now know ⁠that this was a crude, ‌but viable improvised explosive device. As unsophisticated as it was, ​it posed a ​significant risk to the life ‌of the terrified delivery worker, our security staff and the local community." (Reporting by Amanda Ferguson, writing by Padraic Halpin; editing by Sarah Young)