Distretto Nord

Non sono il leader della Real IRA

I am not leader of RIRA says dissident republican

An anti-agreement republican from Co Fermanagh has denied he is the leader of the Real IRA in the north. John Connolly (32), from Newtownbutler, was speaking after he was stopped and searched by police ahead of this week’s Fermanagh district council by-election.

He said he was not behind the dissident republican attacks in Co Fermanagh in the last few months.

Connolly was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2002 after he pleaded guilty to possession of a ‘barrack-buster’ bomb with intent to endanger life on November 11 2000.

He was released from jail in November and claimed since then he had been stopped and searched nine times under the Counter Terrorism Act.

Connolly, who is a member of the Real IRA-aligned 32-County Sovereignty Movement, claimed officers dragged him out of his car and searched him on Thursday – the night of the by-election count.

He said a 17-year-old A-level student who was in the car at the time was also searched under the Counter Terrorism Act.

“I understand me being searched but it’s not right for people in the car with me to be searched,” he said.

“I am not the leader of the Real IRA in the six counties.

“I am not going around in hedges planting bombs. I am not directing anything.

“I just want to get on with my life.”

The mother of the 17-year-old girl said she had been left traumatised by the search.

“When she came in she was extremely distressed,” she said.

“She had an exam the next day and she said she found it very difficult to concentrate.”

The mother said she has written a letter of complaint to the Police Ombudsman.

A police spokesman said: “While we do not comment on named individuals we can confirm that as part of a proactive policing operation, officers stopped a number of cars in the Enniskillen area on Wednesday.

“During this operation, the occupants of vehicles were spoken to.”

He said anyone who was concerned about the actions of police officers should make a complaint to the Police Ombudsman.

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Appunti di una crociata contro la parola intesa e interpretata come ribellione al diluvio verbale che segna la deriva dei nostri giorni. L’occhio avido del giornalista si tuffa in un luogo chiuso a tutti gli sguardi e profana il tempio dei silenzi dell’ultra-nazionalismo in Europa. Un Candide del terzo millennio che esplora, dissacra e perturba.

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