'Real IRA' issues threat to North police

The Real IRA tonight threatened to launch more attacks against the police in Northern Ireland.

The Real IRA tonight threatened to launch more attacks against the police in Northern Ireland.

The dissident republican group, which carried out the Omagh bombing, and claimed responsibility for the shooting and wounding of two members of the PSNI in Derry and Dungannon, Co Tyrone this month.

Both Catholic officers were shot in their cars, one as he delivered his son to school and the other as he drove away from work.

The attacks were seen as an effort to deter Catholics from joining the PSNI now that Sinn Fein has given its backing to the service and the policing structures in Northern Ireland.

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"We will continue to target Crown forces at a time and place of our choosing," the Real IRA said. They also threatened action against people passing information to the security forces.

Their statement was issued to UTV in the wilds of Co Tyrone and coupled with a propaganda video showing two men with a rifle and handgun on a "training exercise".

The terror group killed 29 people including the mother of unborn twins in the worst single atrocity of the Northern Ireland troubles - the Omagh bombing in August 1998.

The Real IRA had been relatively quiet before the shooting of the two police officers - although PSNI chiefs had continued to warn the threat of further attack remained high.

They are reported to have been restructured and to have set up new units to target police officers.

The statement also warned people who had claimed responsibility for their attacks to stop - a previously unheard of group called the Irish Republican Liberation Army said it shot the officer in Dungannon.

The Real IRA said the IRLA were not republicans and nothing but a bunch of criminals using a republican title.

"This criminal gang offers nothing to the republican cause and we advise them to desist from their activities immediately." The statement said the group should be aware their activities were being monitored.