A woman who sat on a local policing body in the North is believed to have been the intended target of an attack by dissident republicans.
What police described as a "viable device" was planted in the garden of Mary McCrea's home in Co Tyrone.
The bomb was made safe late on Monday night by a British army bomb disposal expert after it was found outside Mrs McCrea's home in the Primrose Park area of Sion Mills.
It was the second such device planted at a home in the village in two days. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the two attacks were linked - and the dissident group calling itself Óglaigh na hÉireann admitted responsibility for the first.
The same group was also believed to be behind another attempted bombing near Lurgan, Co Armagh last Thursday.
Police warned residents of the Tyrone village to be on the alert against further devices.
Strabane police commander Phil Marks hit out at the dissident republican grouping. He said: "I would like to take this opportunity to utterly condemn the reckless actions of these people who left two viable explosive devices in residential areas of Sion Mills over the past two days.
"There were children playing in these areas and very close to the areas where the devices were found. People were going about their day-to-day business and enjoying the Easter break.
"Quite clearly, this would demonstrate to me those responsible for the devices have no regard for the safety of anyone." Mrs McCrea is a former member of the District Policing Partnership in nearby Strabane, several members of which have been targeted by dissidents.
Mrs McCrea was evacuated from her home until the bomb was made safe and described the incident as "very frightening". She said she had feared for the lives of her grandchildren. "The only thing that was going through my head was that I was worried about my grandchild and I had another grandchild in the house with me." Condemning those responsible for planting the device, she said: "It's terrible somebody would be so callous - it was not left there for the bomb disposal, it was left there for someone to pick up"