Alleged IRA dissident charged over Ulster car bomb

DUBLIN – An alleged Irish Republican Army dissident has been arraigned in a Northern Ireland court on charges of detonating a car bomb outside a police base in Londonderry.

The Aug. 3 blast didn't affect the heavily fortified police station, but did damage nearby fast-food shops. It was one of a half-dozen relatively small car bombs detonated by IRA splinter groups in Northern Ireland last year. None caused any serious injuries.

Police charged Londonderry resident Martin McCloone with six criminal counts connected to the attack, including hijacking at gunpoint a taxi used for carrying the bomb. McCloone did not speak during Wednesday's arraignment at Londonderry Magistrates Court. A detective testified that McCloone's cell-phone records linked him to the attack.