This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Security forces in Northern Ireland have escaped injury after being “lured” to a bomb that exploded close to the border with Ireland, prompting a warning that peace should not be taken for granted.

Police and army bomb disposal experts were mounting a security operation when the device exploded near Newtownbutler in Co Fermanagh on Monday morning. There were no casualties.

Police and ammunition technical officers had been examining the scene, which borders Co Cavan in the Republic of Ireland, to follow up the discovery of a nearby hoax device on Saturday.

Officers heard an “exceptionally loud explosion”, Stephen Martin, deputy chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), told a press conference on Monday afternoon.

The attack was likely staged by the Continuity IRA or New IRA – “small groups of determined people who pose real risk and danger” – he said. “We shouldn’t take our peace for granted.”

Martin said it was an attempt to lure police and army experts into the area to murder them. The device targeted security forces but was placed on a main road, posing an “indiscriminate and reckless” threat to anyone that could have been caught up in the explosion, said the deputy chief constable.

Northern Ireland last week marked the 50th anniversary of the start of the Troubles, during which more than 3,600 people were killed, before the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement. Dissident republican groups continue to launch sporadic attacks.

PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne called the bomb a “sinister development”, while politicians across the spectrum united in condemnation – a rare unanimity amid Brexit divisions.

Julian Smith, the Northern Ireland secretary, commended the security forces. Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, said the bomb could have had devastating consequences. He said: “There is never any justification to use violence to achieve political aims. The people of Ireland, north and south, had their say on this issue when they voted overwhelmingly and emphatically for the Good Friday agreement.”

Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP, said the attack was a clear attempt to kill. She said: “The threat from republican terrorists still exists. It’s time they left the stage and allowed everyone to move on.”

Michelle Gildernew, the Sinn Féin MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, said those responsible had nothing to offer society and needed to end such actions immediately.

Dissident republicans were blamed for an attempted bomb attack on police last month in Craigavon, Co Armagh. There were no casualties.