The arrest of Colin Duffy in Lurgan on suspicion of involvement in the shooting deaths of two British soldiers ups the ante on the dissident IRA organizations. Irishcentral.com has learned.

Duffy, 41,  is believed to be  a key figure in Eirigi, meaning “uprising “ a new dissident group made up of hardened Provisional IRA members who have left the organization comparatively recently.

That split occurred in 2007 after some senior figures disagreed with the decision to support policing in the North. Duffy has a checkered  past. He was accused on two separate occasions of killing policemen but  he won on appeal  the first time and was found not guilty on the second.

Earlier this week Eirigi issued a statement saying they did not support armed struggle after massive public reaction against the killings of the two soldiers and the policemen last week.

Also, some Eirigi members houses in Belfast were picketed by Sinn Fein members during the week.