Bomb placed under police car in Northern Ireland

Three men have been arrested in what has been described as "a clear attempt to murder police officers"

A coat of arms is pictured at the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Headquarters in Belfast (PETER MUHLY/AFP/Getty Images)

Three men have been arrested in Northern Ireland after a bomb was found underneath the car of two police officers in Derry.

The device was discovered in the early hours of this morning in Glenrandel under the car of a married couple who are both police officers. It has been described by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) as: “a clear attempt to murder police officers.”

The area was evacuated shortly before 3am today as the security alert was highlighted and army technical officers attended the scene.

It is not yet known who was responsible for the device but the PSNI have said that dissident republicans are their main line of inquiry.

PSNI District Commander Mark McEwan told BBC NI that the attack was a: “clear attempt to murder police officers. This could have been a tragedy.”

The MP for the area, Mark Durkan condemned the attack. He said: “It is not what the community want. Let’s be very clear about the support and sympathy and solidarity that we are offering to the officer concerned.”

Justice Minister David Ford, from the cross-community Alliance Party, also condemned the attack. He said: "Clearly, whoever attached this device to the police officer's car had intended it to murder a servant of the community. I want to praise the vigilance of the owners who have averted a tragedy.

"I unreservedly condemn the people who hide in darkness and seek to use extreme violence. No rational person can see that as a way forward."