Six held in special branch break-in probe

The investigation into a break-in in Northern Ireland’s highest security police station took a dramatic twist today as police arrested six people during raids on homes in republican areas of Belfast and Derry.

In a joint police and Army operation, four men and two women were arrested for questioning about the break-in staged two weeks ago at Castlereagh Police Station in east Belfast.

Sinn Fein today condemned the arrests as ‘‘highly provocative’’, as they came on the eve of a series of rallies throughout Ireland marking the anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.

A police spokesman confirmed that houses in west, north and east Belfast and Derry were raided and arrests made.

Police were ‘‘supported by their military colleagues’’, he said, adding that officers were now making detailed searches of the premises.

Republican sources also said that an office for ex-prisoners in Derry was also raided.

The break-in embarrassed security chiefs and caused alarm that the raiders might have taken sensitive top secret information on the network of agents and informers who operate in Northern Ireland’s republican and loyalist paramilitary groups.

Today’s raids came on the eve of outgoing police Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan’s last day in office.