A major, detailed and lengthy international police operation involving the PSNI, MI5 and a number of European security services has disrupted dissident republicans from importing arms into Ireland, according to the PSNI.
Ten suspected dissident republicans were arrested in Fermanagh and Armagh yesterday in an operation involving up to 200 police officers backed by the British army.
One of those taken into custody is also being questioned about the 1998 Real IRA Omagh bombing that killed 29 people, police said yesterday.
A potential major conspiracy has been disrupted following this operation, police said. "We can confirm that part of the operation was the disruption of a conspiracy by dissident republicans to procure a significant quantity of arms," said a police spokeswoman. "Detectives from the crime operations branch of the PSNI were present in France to assist French police in conducting a related search. Inquiries in Europe are continuing," police added.
Det Chief Supt Norman Baxter, who is in charge of the Omagh investigation, said the inquiry has been running for a number of months and "involved close liaison with colleagues in the Security Service ".