Police in Northern Ireland say they seized four primed mortar rounds moments before they were set to go out, breaking up a bombing plot that could have caused mass casualties. 

The mortars were rigged to shoot through a hole cut in the top of a van near a Londonderry police station.  Police rammed the van and arrested the driver, as well as another suspect following on a motorcycle.  More than a hundred near by homes were evacuated while explosives experts deactivated the devices.  A similar bombing plot was carried through by its plotters in 1985, killing nine police officers.

The suspects, aged 35 and 37 years old, are believed to be dissidents from an Irish Republican group, most of which gave up violence as a solution to their grievances in the 1990s and 2000s.

To give an idea on how much has changed in Northern Ireland, just a few hours earlier on the other side of the road, more than 5,500 people gathered to break a world record for the biggest song and dance number.  They performed a routine from the musical “Annie”.