DISSIDENT REPUBLICANS have issued death threats against the DUP MP for South Antrim, the Rev William McCrea, and against two former members of the Ulster Defence Regiment, according to DUP Mid-Ulster assembly member Ian McCrea.
Ian McCrea confirmed yesterday that the PSNI has warned his father, the Rev William McCrea, of a plot to murder him by dissident republicans. He added that he was further informed that dissident republicans are also threatening to murder two former UDR soldiers.
“These are two brave men who served their country during the worst days of Northern Ireland’s troubled past. For these dissident republican criminals to target two innocent men in this manner is an extremely serious state of affairs,” said Mr McCrea.
The Rev McCrea said he had been subjected to republican threats and attacks for many years and had learned to deal with such intimidation. His son Mr McCrea said the murders of British soldiers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar and PSNI Constable Stephen Carroll demonstrated that these dissident republican groups had the capacity to kill.
Meanwhile, there was widespread criticism of two vandalism attacks on Orange Order halls in Belfast and in Rasharkin, Co Antrim over the weekend. Sectarian slogans were daubed on the Orange hall in Rasharkin, while paint was thrown at the Belfast Orange Hall at Carlisle Circus.
