Former Sinn Féin press officer and convicted paedophile Michael McMonagle is believed to have been the intended target of a pipe bomb attack on a house in Derry.
The incident took place on Monday evening, just days before he is due to be sentenced for 14 child sex offences.
Police confirmed on Tuesday that they are “investigating the possibility” that the attack in Limewood Street “may have been a case of mistaken identity”.
An elderly couple were left badly shaken and forced to leave their home after the device was thrown through a livingroom window and exploded, causing extensive damage.
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McMonagle lives on the same street.
Army technical officers were alerted to the scene by police, who said the pipe bomb could have seriously injured or killed the couple, who are in their 70s.
Dissident republicans are being linked to the attack.
A security alert was declared and police say its investigation remains at an early stage.
The couple targeted have spoken of the frightening moment when they heard a bang and “saw sparks”. “My husband thought it was gas or something, and we jumped,” Josephine Cooley told the BBC. “My son said, ‘Oh god, I think there is shooting.’
“The blinds broke, we jumped. I ran out the back and they threw something through the window. Sparks were going everywhere. It was just like a nightmare.”
SDLP Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said it was “a shocking and distressing attack”. “There’s no excuse for this,” he said. “The people responsible have caused distress to this family and disruption for the community.”
In September, McMonagle (42), pleaded guilty to two charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and 12 counts of attempted sexual communication with a child on dates from 2020-21.
He was placed on the sex offenders’ register.
The former journalist was suspended from his press officer job with Sinn Féin after he was arrested in August 2021, and in September 2022 was appointed to the role of communications manager with the British Heart Foundation charity in Belfast.
His departure from Sinn Féin became mired in controversy and ultimately led to an overhaul of its governance structures when it emerged that two colleagues, Seán Mag Uidhir and Caolán McGinley, left the party after it was revealed that they provided the references for McMonagle.
Following McMonagle’s last court appearance, a pre-sentence report was ordered and a psychological assessment is to be carried out.
The case is one of a string of scandals to have hit Sinn Féin over the past six weeks, with the leadership facing criticism over its handling of child safeguarding cases
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