The scene of the bomb attack at Hillsborough Drive on Friday morning in east Belfast
ANTI-TERROR cops carried out searches in west Belfast last night as part of an investigation into the booby-trap bomb murder bid on a prison officer last week.
The search operation was co-ordinated by the PSNI’s Terrorist Investigation Unit.
Members of the specialist Tactical Support Group search team along with crime scene investigators carried out the raids in the Twinbrook.
A house was searched and officers dressed in white forensic overalls were scene removing numerous bags of evidence from the property.
Four people are still being questioned at the serious crime suite at Musgrave PSNI sttion in Belfast.
The three men aged 24, 41 and 45 and a 34-year-old woman were arrested on Sunday evening under section 41 of the Terrorism Act.
They are being quizzed about the attempted murder of the 52-year-old who was targeted as he drove to work on Friday morning along Hillsborough Drive off the Cregagh Road.
The married father-of-three required surgery after an explosive device detonated under the van he was driving in east Belfast.
He suffered serious leg injuries but is now in a stable condition in hospital where he remains under round-the-clock armed guard.
A group calling itself the ‘New IRA’ issued a statement to the BBC on Monday saying it was behind the attack claiming he was on a list of “potential targets”.
The Prison Service has asked the PSNI for fresh assessment on the threat post to staff in jails, particularly those serving in Maghaberry prison..
The current threat level to security force members is now described as the “upper end of severe”.
PSNI chiefs fear that the bomb attack may be one of a number of dissident plots carried out in the run-up to the 1916 Easter Rising 100th anniversary later this month.
A spokesperson for the PSNI said: “Detectives investigating the attempted murder of a prison officer in Hillsborough Drive, Belfast last week have carried out follow-up searches in the Twinbrook area.
“The investigation is ongoing and the four arrested individuals remain in custody at this time.”
