The cash machine is believed to have been taken from a supermarket in Newry overnight, sparking a widescale search under the code name “Operation Thor”.
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When the officer got out of the police vehicle to speak to the driver, the lorry sped at the policeman.
Police are treating an on-duty officer hit by lorry in South Armagh today as attempted murder.
The injured officer was treated at the scene before being airlifted to hospital in Belfast.
The constable is still undergoing medical assessment but police said “while his injuries are serious, at this stage, they are not thought to be life threatening”.
In the CCTV footage, two men are seen walking beside the digger along the Camlough Road, with a white van believed to have been used in the getaway close behind them.
A police spokesperson said: “From the accounts of those at the scene, this appears to have been a deliberate act and as such we will be treating this incident as the attempted murder of a police officer”.
‘The officer’s colleagues rushed to help him, providing emergency first aid.
An ATM has been found by gardaí investigating the theft of a cash machine that was ripped from a service station in Co Down with a stolen digger.
“Gardaí came upon a white transit type van with three men nearby”.
The lorry is described as having a white cab and yellow bumper and was towing a red trailer with a white or silver vehicle attached at the time.
DC Lyttle appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to contact detectives in Ardmore on 101 or by calling the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A man in his 20s was arrested this morning at Drumass, Inniskeen, in connection with the ATM robbery.
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The digger was then set on fire, blocking the Camlough Road in the city.
