An Irish diplomat who worked with loyalists in Belfast has been transferred out of Northern Ireland after receiving death threats.
The woman, a senior civil servant in the Department of Foreign Affairs, had been involved in outreach programmes with paramilitary groups and in communities across the city.
But after reporting the threats to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, it was decided she should be moved from Belfast to Dublin in August.
It is understood the PSNI believed the threats to her safety were credible.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs refused to comment on the incident but insisted that the safety of officials was always a top priority.
The diplomat played a key role in developing closer ties with loyalist paramilitaries, in particular the UDA.
She was one of a team of senior officials from the British Irish Secretariat who met senior UDA figures as part of drives by Irish President Mary McAleese and her husband, Dr Martin McAleese, to secure loyalist support for the peace process.
It is understood the threat came from loyalists opposed to the UDA going down the road to peace.
PA