Omagh security alert: Masked men 'hijacked car at gunpoint and placed suspicious object inside'

A man was hijacked at gunpoint by three masked men who placed a suspicious object in his car before forcing him to drive to Omagh police station, the PSNI has said.

The incident caused a major security alert in the Co Tyrone town on Saturday night and Sunday morning which led to a number of people being evacuated from their homes and cordons erected.

The victim was hijacked in the Fireagh Road area, off the Dromore Road in Omagh, and forced to drive his silver-coloured Volkwagen Golf to the Derry Road area, where it was abandoned outside the police station.

Ammunition technical officers examined the object. It has since been removed from the scene and will be subject to further examination to establish its viability.

The security alert has now ended.

Condemning the incident, Inspector Will Brown said: "The misguided and senseless actions of those responsible have caused disruption in the local community.

“Our thoughts are with the driver, who was, understandably, badly shaken by the ordeal.”

"Investigations into the incident continue."

Inspector Brown added: "Thank you to all those who were impacted and to the wider public for your patience and cooperation. We are also grateful for the understanding of those impacted by the ongoing police activity in the Fireagh Road area."

“We are particularly keen to speak to anyone who was in the vicinity of the church on the Fireagh Road, or travelling between the Fieragh Road and Omagh Police Station between 9pm and 10pm last night."

“If you saw anything suspicious, or you have dash cam which may assist with our investigation, please get in touch by calling 101, quoting serial 2015 of 6/5/23."