A 77-YEAR-OLD pensioner was among three men arrested after a viable bomb was found at the centre of a major security alert in Strabane.
The discovery was made at a house in the Drumrallagh estate on Sunday afternoon, resulting in 10 nearby homes being evacuated for a time.
The men were arrested at the scene under the Terrorism Act and taken to Musgrave Serious Crime Suite in Belfast for questioning.The other men were aged 43 and 45.
Army bomb experts were called to defuse the device.
A spokesman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said: "Fortunately this device was found and made safe before it could cause any harm, however, it clearly shows the intent of those individuals to kill or seriously injure.
"They have absolutely no regard for the safety of local residents in the Drumrallagh area. People involved in hiding bombs want to cause harm, they don't care who gets killed or injured."
Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
In a separate incident, bomb-making material and ammunition was found during separate police searches in Lurgan.
