Dissidents tried to acquire PIRA arms - IMC

Dissident republicans tried unsuccessfully to secure weapons from "disgruntled" Provisional IRA members in advance of the IRA's full decommissioning of arms last month, it was claimed today.

Ira arms

The Independent Monitoring Commission said in a report today that it had evidence dissidents approached members of the PIRA hoping to obtain weapons from them. However, it said "there has been no evidence of any success".

The IMC report, covering the period from the beginning of March to the end of August this year, said dissident republicans remained active despite the cessation of violence by the PIRA. It also said dissidents continued to plan attacks on security forces and raise funds through criminal activities.

The commission also said the Continuity IRA and Real IRA had sought to recruit new members since the Provisionals' statement on September 26th.

It noted that the Real IRA, which it describes as "the most serious dissident threat" continues to engage in beatings, including an attack on the Northern Ireland Policing Board vice-chairman Denis Bradley in a Derry bar last month. The IMC said it "greatly deplores" this attack.

"The organisation continues to target on- and off-duty police officers and we believe it would kill members of the security forces in Northern Ireland if it had the opportunity to do so," the report continues. It also blames the Real IRA for a number of incendiary attacks on shopping centres and a number of hoaxes during the summer.

It has also been involved in intimidating Protestants and remains involved in smuggling fuel and tobacco.

The organisation is actively trying to recruit new members "We believe that RIRA is trying to take advantage of the opportunities it thinks the PIRA statement offers to recruit, but with very limited success to date."

The IMC added that the Real IRA was seeking to improve its bomb making capability and remained violent, dangerous and determined.

The Continuity IRA has remained "intermittently active" in the past few months and remains a threat, the report said. It is also trying to take advantage of the Provisional's historic move to recruit and train new members.

"The organisation continues efforts to improve its capacities to use explosives and weapons, and to procure new weapons," the report said.

The group was also involved in robberies and a number of hoaxes and bomb attacks, including an attempt to force a man to drive a bomb to Lurgan police station.

It also took part in disturbances during Orange Order celebrations on July 12th, throwing blast and petrol bombs at the security forces in Belfast.

The Commission concluded that while it was still potentially dangerous, the Continuity IRA was not coherently organised and was damaged by internal fueding. "It has not demonstrated recently that it is capable of mounting a sustained campaign".

The Irish National Liberation Army is reported to be still deeply involved in robbery, smuggling, drug dealing and intimidation. It was also responsible for one shooting and four assaults since April.

It also orchestrated serious rioting in Belfast on July 12 ^thand has considered mounting attacks on off-duty members of the security forces.

"Overall, therefore, there has been some increase in INLA's use of violence but the level of activity is not high. We believe that the threat of the organisation's more active involvement remains."

The IMC report concluded that there were a number of incidents involving dissident republicans between March and August that could not be attributed to any particular faction. These included plans to mount attacks in Britain, a vehicle bomb in Lisburn in April and a pipe bomb along the route of the Belfast marathon in May.