Police in the North have arrested eight people in Derry this morning in a crackdown on loyalist paramilitaries.
A Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesman said seven men and one woman had been detained in the Waterside area of the city, where 12 searches were made. Searches were also taking place in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, he added.
The spokesman said the operation began early this morning.
It is believed police were specifically targeting the activities of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA).
One of those arrested is a leading loyalist in Derry with links to the Ulster Political Research Group (UPRG), which gives "political analysis" to the UDA. Last week, political figures in Derry said the UDA was stepping up recruitment of young people in the Waterside area.
DUP Assembly member for the area Mr William Hay welcomed thecrackdown, saying: "For quite a while there has been a lot of criminal activity in around the Waterside.
"Many people in the Waterside and the wider community would say this had to happen."
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