The damaged entrance to the Everglades Hotel following Friday’s firebomb attack.
A group calling itself the “IRA'” has claimed responsibility for the firebomb attack on the Everglades Hotel in Derry last week.
Over 50 guests were evacuated after a man placed a device on the hotel reception desk at around 11.15pm on Thursday night, telling staff he was from the “IRA” and they had 40 minutes to get out.
It exploded at around 2.00am as it was being examined by British army bomb disposal experts.
No one was injured in the attack, however the hotel’s lobby was extensively damage.
Staff and contractors worked through the night and the hotel reopened for business on Saturday afternoon.
In a statement to the Belfast-based “Irish News” newspaper, a spokesperson for the group said the hotel was targeted because it recently hosted a recruitment event for the PSNI and the device used was “a thermobaric charge and 40-minute timer.”
A thermobaric charge is said to be capable of generating a high temperature explosion.
The statement added: “Any venue that hosts similar events in the future will now be treated as legitimate targets by the IRA.
“This warning will not be repeated and should be treated with the seriousness it warrants.”
The “IRA” was formed two years ago after a merger between the Real IRA, Republican Action Against Drugs (RAA) and independent republicans based in the Mid Ulster area.
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