THREE MEN are to appear in court this morning in connection with the discovery of arms and ammunition in south Armagh.
They were arrested by Police Service of Northern Ireland officers who stopped their car in Keady on Friday and found what they later described as a “substantial amount” of weapons including handguns, machine guns and rifles.
Two other significant finds of bomb-making equipment have been made following a joint cross-Border operation involving the Garda and the PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch.
The three arrested men, aged 34, 35 and 39, are due before Newry magistrates to face charges of having weapons with intent to endanger life, planning terrorist acts and possession of items likely to be of use to terrorists.
Few details have been made in relation to the discovery of bomb-making materials by the PSNI officers who were carrying out targeted searches as police are on high alert. Dissident attacks were feared as republicans commemorated the 95th anniversary of the Easter rising.
The first discovery of bomb-making materials involved a significant quantity of equipment uncovered in planned searches in Co Armagh on Saturday, the PSNI confirmed yesterday.
The second discovery was made later on Saturday evening. There were no arrests and no further details were provided either about the content of the finds or their location.
“Dissident terrorist groups are continuing to identify officers and target them with the single objective of killing them. And in so doing, their reckless actions will also put the lives of our wider communities at risk,” the PSNI said.
“We are taking these steps to keep communities and officers safe. We would not do this unless it was not absolutely necessary to protect life.” Appealing for public co-operation and understanding, the PSNI added: “We ask for patience with officers if they are inconvenienced due to police activity”. Police have been on high alert over the Easter period in the wake of the murder on April 2nd of Constable Ronan Kerr in Omagh, Co Tyrone.
A 33-year-old man arrested by the PSNI in connection with the murder appeared in court in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, on Saturday on a series of arms and explosive charges.
“Dissident terrorist groups are continuing to identify officers and target them with the single objective of killing them,” the PSNI said. The threat of further dissident republican activity is described by the PSNI as “severe”.
In Belfast a 40-year-old man arrested in the city on Saturday as part of a separate police operation against loyalist paramilitary activity was yesterday released unconditionally.