Boy, 16, arrested after discovery of suspicious devices in Omagh

By Jonathan McCambridge (Press Association)

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested under the Terrorism Act after four suspicious devices were found at a property in Co Tyrone.

Police believe the items found after a planned search at an address in the Gardenville Avenue area of Omagh on Monday are viable explosive devices.

A security alert in the town has now ended.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “Following the discovery of a suspicious device, cordons were put in place and a number of residents had to leave their homes while ammunition technical officers carried out an examination.

“Three further suspicious devices were found as our search continued.

“At this stage, we believe that all four are viable explosive devices and they have since been removed from the property for forensic examination.

“A 16-year-old male was arrested under the Terrorism Act and remains in police custody at this time.”

The spokesperson added: “We would urge the public not to speculate – it’s important to stress that, while the suspect has been arrested under the Terrorism Act, our investigation to establish a motive remains very much ongoing.

“We would ask anyone who may have information that could assist our investigation to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 281 24/08/256.”