The Downing Street on Tuesday condemned the car bomb attack outside Newry courthouse in County Down, Northern Ireland.

A Downing Street spokesman joined the denouncement of Monday night's attack offered by all parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly, and spoke of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's continuing support for the devolution process.

The spokesman said: "We strongly condemn the attack in Newry which we believe is entirely unrepresentative of the views of the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland's politicians have been working incredibly hard to deliver a successful conclusion to the peace process. We will not allow a tiny minority to turn the clock back."

"The prime minister continues to support a peaceful, prosperous and secure Northern Ireland with power in the hands of its people, " he said.

Brown was in Northern Ireland earlier this month following the deal reached on the devolution of policing and justice, where he spoke of "opening a new chapter for Northern Ireland."

The bombing is being blamed on dissident republicans and came just weeks after the two main parties - the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein - reached a ground-breaking deal.