Frenchmen facing Real IRA probe

Three French men were being investigated in connection with a probe into the dissident Real IRA terror group today, judicial officials said in Paris.

The three are being investigated for “criminal association with a terrorist group,” the officials added.

In France, being placed under investigation is one step short of formal charges.

Jean-Pierre Ellien, 60, Bernard Le Gac, 57, and Pierre-Yves Perennes, 20, were released from custody pending the investigation.

They were among six people rounded up on Tuesday on suspicion of ties to the Real IRA.

Three others were released without facing any charges.

The six were arrested in the northern coastal regions of Cotes d’Armor and Seine-Maritime.

Police said they also found two submachine guns, an automatic pistol and two silencers hidden in a barrel-sized container in a small forest.

In August, French authorities, working on intelligence provided the Gardaí, started an inquiry into possible activity in France by the Real IRA.