One man is in custody after security forces discovered an AK 47 assault rifle hidden in a car in Lurgan, Co Armagh, late on Thursday night. The find was made after an RUC patrol stopped a car in the Charles Street area of the town, close to the nationalist Kilwilkie Estate. The driver of the vehicle was arrested and taken to Lurgan RUC Station for further questioning.
Security force sources believe that the rifle was being moved prior to being used in an attack on the RUC or a leading loyalist in the north Armagh area. It is also believed that the AK 47 was the same weapon used in a gun attack on Lurgan RUC station in August this year, when a number of shots were fired at the police station by a gunman in a moving car. The latest find has been linked to the dissident Republican grouping, Continuity IRA, who are the only terrorist group yet to declare a ceasefire. This is the first time that a dissident republican grouping has been linked to an attack in the North since the Omagh massacre on August 15th.
It is believed that some prominent republicans in the north Armagh area have moved over to the CIRA and in recent weeks some of them have been spotted in loyalist areas of Portadown, giving rise to speculation that some form of attack was imminent. It is known that senior loyalist figures, particularly in the Portadown area, have increased their personal security over the last few days.