PETER ROBINSON and Martin McGuinness have jointly condemned the weekend bomb attack in Co Armagh which injured three children.
The explosion on Saturday was followed by violence directed at PSNI officers which lasted into the early hours of yesterday.
The children, two 12-year-olds and another aged just 2, suffered cuts and shock in a no-warning bomb explosion in Lurgan.
The First Minister and Deputy First Minister made their comments as PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott said history showed there was no security-only answer to terrorism.
Mr Baggott told RTÉ yesterday: “Ultimately there has to be persuasion and dialogue,” but he said this was a matter for politicians.
The Lurgan device had been left in a wheelie-bin, and went off as police officers investigated reports that another device had been planted in the vicinity of a primary school.
PSNI Chief Insp Sam Cordner said the children had had a remarkable escape, and that the bombers had no regard for human life.
“They are intent on causing death, injury and disruption, and it does not matter who gets caught up in their cowardly attacks,” he said. “This no-warning explosion occurred in North Street in Lurgan and was an obvious attempt to kill police or injure police officers providing a service to this community as they responded to a neighbouring area following a very vague warning that a device had been left at a local school.”
It was “an absolute miracle” that the children were not more seriously injured “by this sickening attack on the most vulnerable members of our community”.
Mr Robinson said the bomb was designed “to maim, injure and kill whoever happened to be close by, including children”.
The bombers’ tactics were similar to those used by the Omagh bombers in 1998, he added.
The deaths of the 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, were commemorated in Omagh yesterday by relatives of the victims and the injured.
Mr Robinson added: “There can be no doubt as to just how depraved and evil these criminals are. Attacking young innocent children is callous and shows a complete disregard for the people of Northern Ireland.
“Those involved in these attacks need to know that they will not succeed in taking society back.”
Mr McGuinness said: “There is no justification whatsoever for yesterday’s attack.
“No cause or belief will be served by attacks on our children. These attacks must stop and stop now – this is not the way forward for any section of our society.
“I would call on anyone with any information whatsoever to contact the authorities and prevent others from being injured or killed.”
SDLP local representative Dolores Kelly said local people were “absolutely furious” at the bomb attack, “and no wonder”.
There were a series of alerts across Northern Ireland, from near Newcastle, Co Down, to Belfast, Derry and Co Armagh.
Many of the alerts were described as elaborate hoaxes.
Mr McGuinness, in a separate address yesterday, said republicans of all sorts should work together to realise an all-Ireland republic.
Addressing a 1981 hunger strikes memorial in Bellaghy, Co Derry, yesterday afternoon, Mr McGuinness said Sinn Féin would continue to lead, adding: “We must strategise and use tactics suitable and workable to the 21st century, to 2010.
“There are lots of potential allies out there,” he said.
“The prison protests in Armagh and the H Blocks brought together many people who disagreed with us on other issues. The hunger strikes became a catalyst for a huge mass movement.
“So while building Sinn Féin, we also have to help build, with others, an alliance for change.”
He concluded: “We have to come together with others to forge a stronger, united, progressive and democratic movement for our country.”