FOUR BBC journalists were arrested yesterday and a film was seized from them by gardaí investigating paramilitary activity in Co Donegal.
They were detained in custody under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
Another seven people were arrested and were last night being held, along with the BBC personnel, in a number of Garda stations in the county.
The first arrests - of the BBC journalists and three others - were made in the early hours of yesterday.
The second group of four, including a Derry-based suspected senior Real IRA figure, were arrested yesterday afternoon near the Border at Bridgend, Co Donegal.
The BBC confirmed that "a number" of its journalists were held in the first group of seven.
The journalists work mainly for the BBC Northern Ireland investigative programme, Spotlight, according to BBC sources.
A BBC spokeswoman said they worked for BBC Current Affairs in Northern Ireland and were on an investigation with full editorial authority under BBC guidelines. She added that "other parties present" during the arrests were fully aware they were with BBC journalists.
It is understood the journalists included a team working on an investigation for Panoramainto diesel-laundering and smuggling along the Border.
Spotlightjournalists often carry out work for Panorama.
Another team in the group is believed to have been working on a documentary for BBC Northern Ireland on murdered IRA double-agent Denis Donaldson.
He was killed two years ago at a remote cottage hideaway outside Glenties, Co Donegal, after admitting he spied for the British authorities while holding a senior Sinn Féin position in Belfast.
Gardaí were tightlipped about the arrests, only saying that they related to "ongoing investigations into paramilitary activity".
Six people were being held at Letterkenny Garda station, two in Milford, two in Burnfoot, and one was moved to Ballyshannon after being questioned at Milford.
Lawyers said they were refused access to the arrested people.
One lawyer said: "We are getting very little information. We're not even being told where the arrests happened. I understand the first group was taken into custody [ at] about 3am."
A senior team of anti-terrorist gardaí arrived from Dublin at 4.15pm yesterday and a conference took place shortly afterwards at Letterkenny Garda station.
All 11 are being held under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
They can be held for a total of 72 hours, after which they must be charged or released.
It is relatively rare for journalists to be lifted in such raids, although it has happened over the course of the Troubles.
The National Union of Journalists Irish organiser, Séamus Dooley, confirmed that some of the four BBC personnel were members of the union.
"We would expect that the BBC would provide legal support for their arrested members. If not, the NUJ will provide support," he said last night.
"At this stage it is too early to comment on the situation other than to say that journalists will be mindful of the need to protect confidential sources of information."