Further dissident republican attacks ‘likely’

Dissident republicans are likely to carry out further attacks despite the successes of gardaí and the PSNI, an EU terrorist report says.

Specialist Garda units arrested 66 suspected terrorists in 2012, the third-highest number in the EU, after France and Britain.

The EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report said a new republican alliance, dubbed the new IRA, was behind the murder of a prison officer in the North last year. David Black, 52, was driving to work at Maghaberry prison when he was ambushed and shot dead on the M1 motorway in Co Armagh on Nov 2.