Taoiseach dismisses SF claims of PSNI vendetta

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has said he does not believe the PSNI is engaged in a vendetta against republicans.

Sinn Féin MP Martin McGuinness said yesterday that he believed such a vendetta existed. He was responding to PSNI Huge Orde's allegation that the Provisional IRA was behind an alleged abduction attempt in Belfast last Friday.

The IRA has denied authorising the abduction and none of the four people arrested in connection with it was charged with IRA membership. Despite this, Mr Ahern claimed today that the four were prominent IRA members.