BELFAST — The Police Service of Northern Ireland arrested a 66-year-old man under the United Kingdom's Terrorism Act on Monday in connection with a car bomb attack on Dunmurry police station in Belfast claimed by the New IRA. Searches were ongoing in both east and west of Belfast, a spokesperson said.

No one was injured when the car bomb exploded outside the station on Saturday. A delivery vehicle had been hijacked and its driver forced to drive to Dunmurry police station before the device detonated.

The New IRA said it had intended to kill police officers coming out of the station and warned that it planned to target officers at their homes with bombs. The group typically claims responsibility for attacks in coded statements to local newspapers.

Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said, "The latest attack demonstrated a clear intent to disrupt communities and potentially injure or kill police officers and staff." Beck added that the arrest was part of ongoing efforts to investigate the attack.

The New IRA is one of a small number of active armed groups that oppose a three-decade-old peace deal that largely ended sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. The group rejects the political compromises at the heart of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which stipulates that Northern Ireland will remain part of the United Kingdom unless a majority votes by referendum to unite with the Republic of Ireland.

The New IRA has carried out multiple attacks on police, including an attempted car bombing at a police station outside Belfast the previous month. The last officer killed in Northern Ireland was Constable Ronan Kerr, who died when a bomb exploded under his car outside his home 15 years ago.