Army bomb experts are examining a suspicious object found close to the home of a Catholic police officer in Kilkeel, County Down.

It fell from under her car near her home at Fearon Close.

She is the niece of independent republican councillor Martin Connolly, who left Sinn Fein three years ago when the party decided to support the PSNI.

He declined to condemn the apparent attack, saying he "did not want to get into the politics of condemnation".

Dissident republicans

"It hasn't done any good in the past, nor will it do any good in the future," he said.

"The fact of the matter is - let's deal with facts and be realistic about it - while there's British occupation in Ireland there will always be opposition to that, whether you agree with it or not."

Mr Connolly added: "Let's wait and see the outcome of this and see whether or not it is a viable device or whether it's something as simple as a hoax."

Local MP Margaret Ritchie of the nationalist SDLP said the people of Kilkeel "stand with the officer and against those who would bring destruction and murder into this peaceful community".

"Everyone in Kilkeel will be disgusted by this attack and everyone will want to see those responsible brought to justice as soon as possible," she said.

Local Democratic Unionist Party assembly member Jim Wells said it was the latest in a worrying series of attacks.

"We've seen a week with dissident attacks in Londonderry, Bangor and now Kilkeel; the message is very clear - the dissident threat is throughout Northern Ireland," he said.

"Those who are saying it's one or two isolated pockets are totally wrong.

"They've been able to come in and out of areas at will and attack members of the security forces, and that's a very worrying trend."

It comes days after a car bomb exploded outside Strand Road police station in Londonderry

Added (2010-08-10, 11:13 PM)
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All this when not so long ago, the GAA and Irish lauguage specialist Officer Heffron was blew up outside Randalstown and him the nephew of Declan Kearney of Sinn Fein.

Now this officer is the neice of a hard-line dissident republican, goes to show what sort of scum are in our countries so-called police force.