A bomb found in a parked vehicle in Londonderry was to be used to attack a police patrol, detectives said today.
The device was operated using a command wire and was viable. Officers described it as an improvised explosive belong to the dissident republican New IRA grouping.
It came as police were attacked with missiles by a crowd of between 60 and 100 people as they searched for dissidents on Monday night.
Around 40 petrol bombs were thrown during the violence which flared.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said the bomb would have "killed or maimed anyone near it when it detonated."
Officers found the viable explosive device while searching the Creggan Heights district of the city for bomb-making equipment.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland later said 15 families who had been evacuated as a result of the find could now return to their homes.
At least two people sustained burns injuries during the violence, police added.
Mr Hamilton said by bringing a viable bomb into the community, they have again proved that they have "no regard for the lives of anyone living in Creggan.
"Once again, they exploited some of the young people in the community to attack police and have brought disruption and misery to families."
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Police searches began after a dissident republican mortar bomb was recovered in Strabane, County Tyrone, on Saturday.
The mortar, near a family home, was aimed at the town's police station.
It was the seventh attempted murder bid against security forces in Northern Ireland this year.
In April, journalist Lyra McKee, 29, was murdered by the New IRA in Creggan Heights as she observed dissident rioting.
Mr Hamilton said it is "concerning to see significant numbers of young people on the streets, late into the night, throwing petrol bombs and other missiles at officers in the area.
"The reality is this type of disorder contributes to the complexity of the policing operation and presents a real risk of injury to those involved."
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