Five dissident republicans held after arms find

AMMUNITION, a firearm and balaclavas have been seized in an anti-dissident operation by armed gardaí which led to the arrest of five men.

The items were found in two cars stopped and searched by the emergency response unit (ERU), supported by local gardaí, in Dundalk and Ardee, Co Louth, at around 11.30 yesterday morning. Five men, aged from their mid-20s to mid-50s, were being questioned in stations at Dundalk and Drogheda in Louth, and Balbriggan in north Dublin, arising from the seizures.

The firearm and a balaclava were found in the car stopped on Ecco Road in Dundalk, leading to two of the arrests. The three other men were detained after ammunition and a balaclava were found in the second car. All five are held under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act which allows gardaí to keep them in custody for 72 hours.

It is unclear if the men were on the way to carry out an attack, but the Garda Press Office said the operation was part of ongoing investigations into the activities of dissident republicans.

The arrests came as the North’s Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin, claimed British undercover agents are “turning a blind eye” to activities by republican dissident groups in the North and that lives could be lost as a result. He said the peace process is being undermined because British military intelligence are giving “leeway” to dissident groups they have infiltrated.

He said, in order to build their credibility, the intelligence agents “allow them to be involved in various actions and deeds which could result in people being killed”.

He was speaking after a bomb was found under the car of a Catholic policewoman in Kilkeel, Co Down, on Saturday – the third bomb attack by republican dissidents in a week.

Mr McGuinness said he knew “for a fact” that representatives of the British Government are in discussions with dissident groups “over the past 10 years or so and are still in discussions as we speak”. He said there is also a prospect of dialogue between these groups and Sinn Féin who have offered to meet them.

The 32 County Sovereignty Group, which is allegedly part of the dissident organisations “are recognising that there is a need for some form of dialogue,” according to Mr McGuinness. “It makes sense that, if they are prepared to talk to the British, that they are prepared to talk to an Irish republican party like Sinn Féin.”

Party president Gerry Adams confirmed last night meetings are expected to take place shortly, although he did not specify which groups would be involved.

“This is not a stunt. As the party elected by republican communities to lead, we have a responsibility to provide political leadership. That is what we are doing,” Mr Adams said.

“We want these groups to reflect on the political realities of Ireland in 2010. Their activities play into the hands of rejectionist unionism and those elements of the British system who seek to limit and frustrate the process of change,” he said.