Dissidents ‘still pose severe threat’

DISSIDENT republicans pose a severe threat and, while their numbers remain small, their capabilities are growing, Justice Minister Dermot Ahern has warned.

Speaking after the discovery of a suspected major dissident republican bomb-making operation in Dundalk and the arrest of two men, Mr Ahern said there was no doubt that a bombing attempt had been foiled.

“There was fairly major engineering in process,” he told RTÉ.

The minister said the arrests were due to surveillance work as part of a deliberate campaign against terrorist activity.

He and new Northern Ireland justice minister, David Ford, had recently met, together with Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy and PSNI chief constable Matt Baggot to reaffirm their commitment to the campaign.

“We resolved at that meeting to intensify the actions on both sides of the border against the dissidents.”

He said the next report of the Independent Monitoring Commission on paramilitary activity would confirm the need for continued action.

“This threat from the dissidents is severe,” he said. “We will be jointly publishing the latest IMC report in the coming week. That will again indicate the threat from the Real IRA and Continuity IRA and others continues. It’s growing in capacity, perhaps not in numbers – the numbers are still relatively small. But it only takes a few to do these awful deeds.”

Among the items discovered at the outbuilding on the Old Newry Road in the town’s Mount Pleasant area were two large modified gas cylinders fixed on to a trailer.

It is believed the swoop could have foiled an imminent attack in the North similar to those carried out in recent months by extremists opposed to the peace process.

Mr Ahern said the threat from dissident groups remained strong, but insisted authorities north and south of the border were determined to tackle them at every turn.

“The operation was very successful. Lives have been saved as a result,” the minister said. “The harsh reality is, from time to time, relatively small groups of people can succeed in committing violent acts. These people will have to get the message one way or the other their activities are doomed to fail.”

The suspects, aged 23 and 52, were taken to Drogheda Garda Station for questioning. They can be held for up to three days under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.

Meanwhile, the arrest scene, in an area surrounded by houses and factory units, remained sealed off as experts from the Garda Technical Bureau conducted forensic examinations.

Gardaí and PSNI detectives have been working closely to thwart the dissidents, with intelligence suggesting many bomb operations have been planned and prepared in the Republic.