Terrorist who tried to kill police officer with car bomb jailed for 25 years

A man convicted of a bid to kill a police officer has been jailed for 25 years.

Sean McVeigh, 38, from, Lurgan, Co Armagh, was found guilty in February of the attempted murder of a police officer at his home using an under-car bomb, following a non-jury trial.

The bid was foiled when the officer’s wife raised the alarm at their home in the Eglinton area of Co Londonderry in the early hours of June 18 2015.

Judge Stephen Fowler described McVeigh as a “committed dissident republican terrorist” who had planted a device which had “one purpose, to kill anyone unfortunate enough to be in the car”.

The judge said there were two potential victims, the police officer and his wife who is also a police officer.

He said it was “entirely fortuitous” that the planting of the bomb was disrupted and that both could have been in the car, and added that given the car was parked in a residential area there could easily have been multiple deaths.

“I have no doubt this was a terrifying ordeal for both officers,” Judge Fowler said.