Police foil dissident attack as truck full of bomb parts found in Northern Ireland
By: DONAL THORNTON | Published Friday, January 1, 2010, 8:12 AM | Updated Friday, January 1, 2010, 10:38 AM
A truck full of bomb materials - more than twice the size of the Omagh bomb - was found in Northern Ireland on New Year's Eve.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland say they foiled a dissident attack after they found an articulated truck packed with 1000lb of explosives under a flyover bridge on the A1 road near Newry. The newly refurbished A1 is a roadway linking the North and South.
Police say the materials found in the truck could have fueled a powerful explosive device or a number of smaller devices.
It is believed the lorry had been driven from the Republic.
Security experts in the North say that the threat of a serious attack has never been higher. They say there had been concerns that dissidents would attack over Christmas or the New Year.
Shoppers and businesses were urged to watch out for suspicious activities, particularly when shops are very busy.
Security officials on both sides of the border estimate that there are now more than 200 active dissident republicans.
The
Real IRA and
Continuity IRA are mainly responsible for all dissident activity. Both terrorist organizations mount operations and collaborate with each other.
The Minister for
Justice Dermot Ahern has said that dissidents are intent on remilitarising the border between both states. Minister Ahern said that the dissidents had been able to recruit new members in the North but activity was confined to the "usual suspects" in the South. Minister Ahern also said that the police in the south had carried out successful raids against dissidents this year.
The
Independent Monitoring Commission has confirmed that some former members of the Provisional IRA have been in subversive activity with dissident republicans. The
MI5 is
Britain's intelligence service and placed its threat level at severe.
4 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.plasticpaddy | Apr 16, 2010, 06:38 PM EDT
'home grown terrorists, many of whom have been recruited and trained by Muslim extremists' oh my! Ridiculous and delusional!
beachline | Jan 04, 2010, 03:54 PM EST
I hope PANA chairman Roger Cole and his loudmouth bully boys read this article and believe it. They are complaining about Ireland providing a few hours of peace and safety to NATO troops enroute to Afghanistan and Iraq, well they better start looking closer to home and realizing that the "neutrality" they are talking about is only a bomb blast away, and it will come from home grown terrorists, many of whom have been recruited and trained by Muslim extremeists. No country is safe anymore Mr. Cole, so get over yourself and start working for the good of our nation. Security forces on both sides of the border are doing a great job and they should not have to be fighting against their own country men.
kickstar | Jan 03, 2010, 12:30 PM EST
"Minister Ahern also said that the police in the south had carried out successful raids against dissidents this year". Yes this is true if you include the Citations given for having a bicycle on the road after Sundown without a light and missing front brake pads,Operating a tilly lamp using illegal white diesel, And having a Radio without the prerequisite Communications license.They also wanted to do one fella for being in a public place while in possession of dung covered Gumboots but thought better of it as it might look like harassment and repression of his civil rights.
kickstar | Jan 01, 2010, 10:16 AM EST
I hope you don't have to chase any of them along those ice covered untreated back roads along the border