Dissidents plan more terror strikes
THREE dissident republican groups are heavily involved in efforts to fund and expand their campaign of terrorism in Northern Ireland, the latest report from an independent watchdog body has revealed.
The Irish and British governments are due to publish the fresh findings from the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) today.
The IMC report highlights the dangers posed by the Continuity IRA (CIRA) and the two factions of the Real IRA (RIRA).
The report, which was studied by the Cabinet in Dublin yesterday, does not provide a detailed analysis of the CIRA murder of PSNI constable Stephen Carroll in Craigavon, Co Armagh; or the fatal shooting of two British soldiers, Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey, outside barracks in Co Antrim by the RIRA in March as the six-month period under review ended the previous month. But it does make a reference to the atrocities in its findings on the growing threat provided by the main renegade republican groups in the North since last September.
The report discloses that the CIRA has stepped up efforts to poach former members of the Provisional IRA and says its fund-raising activities also include drug dealing, tiger kidnaps, robberies, extortion, fuel laundering and brothel keeping.
It warns that the CIRA is attempting to attract ex-Provos to enhance its terrorist capabilities. The report says CIRA members are developing explosives expertise and have planted a number of devices during the six-month period.The CIRA and the two factions of the RIRA are continuing to gather intelligence on possible targets for attack, the report states.
On the loyalist side, the report says the main paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association, is showing signs of facing up to the challenge of decommissioning weapons.
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