A man in his 30s has been arrested following the hijacking of a Translink Goldliner coach in Omagh, County Tyrone, which sparked a dramatic police pursuit through residential areas on Saturday afternoon.
The incident began shortly before 13:00 BST when the man threatened the bus driver at knifepoint on Beltany Road. After forcing passengers to evacuate, he kept the driver on board and drove the vehicle at speed through local streets while being pursued by a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) patrol car. Social media videos captured the coach being driven rapidly through residential neighbourhoods during the chase.
The hijacker initially fled in the direction of Newtownstewart, prompting officers to pursue him along the A5 through Victoria Bridge and Sion Mills. The bus was eventually stopped in the Head of the Town area of Strabane, where the man was removed from the vehicle and arrested.
The incident resulted in multiple collisions involving the stolen bus, a police car, and other vehicles, along with damage to property. One person was taken to hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during the incident. A PSNI spokesperson confirmed that police are appealing for information from the public about the collisions and property damage.
Sinn Féin councillor Brian Barney Harte reported that a wall was damaged at the side of a house in Strabane during the pursuit. The Fountain Street and Drumallagh areas in Strabane remained closed following the incident, with authorities asking the public to avoid the area.
A Translink NI spokesperson stated:
We can confirm an incident occurred involving a Goldliner coach travelling on the Beltany Road in Omagh this afternoon. We are assisting the PSNI with their investigation including use of onboard CCTV and would ask anyone with information relating to the incident to contact the police.
Part of a wider pattern of disruption
This hijacking is not an isolated incident in the region. According to local reporting, police made four arrests following an earlier attempted hijacking and assault at an Omagh bus depot, indicating that related offending in the same area had already been under investigation before Saturday's incident.
The attack reflects a broader pattern of disruptive incidents affecting public transport across Northern Ireland. A previous bus hijacking in Newtownards saw armed, masked men seize a vehicle that was subsequently set on fire, according to earlier reporting on regional transport security. These incidents have contributed to a documented history of bus hijackings and arson attacks on Translink vehicles, which have led to service suspensions and route disruptions across the region.
Omagh itself has faced additional public-safety challenges in recent months. The town has experienced other security-related disruptions, including a security alert that was later identified as a ruse, adding to the policing burden in the area.
