British detectives investigating the murder of solicitor Ms Rosemary Nelson yesterday arrested two men in connection with her murder. They will also be questioned about a number of other attacks involving the use of under-car bombs by loyalist groups.
The arrests were announced in a statement issued through Norfolk police, whose deputy chief constable, Mr Colin Port, has been leading the inquiry into Ms Nelson's killing on March 15th, 1999.
The two men, aged 41 and 43, are being questioned "on suspicion of serious terrorist offences", the statement said.
Security sources in the North say that the bomb which killed Ms Nelson was manufactured in the village of Ballygowan, Co Down, by a figure associated with the Ulster Defence Association (UDA).
The bomb was then passed to members of the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) which is based around the north Armagh area and, in particular, Portadown. The bomb was planted under Ms Nelson's car by members of the LVF.
The attack was claimed in the name of the Red Hand Defenders (RHD), which is seen as a cover name for the UDA/LVF coalition.
A similar bomb, incorporating the commercial explosive Powergel, was used in the killing of Mr Glen Greer in October 1997. The under-car bomb used in this attack was similar to the device that killed Ms Nelson.
Another similar device was planted under the car of the north Belfast republican, Mr Eddie Copeland, in December 1996, causing him leg injuries. The UDA carried out that attack.
It is also understood a similar device was used against the Bangor, Co Down, anti-drugs activist, Mr Sandy Rice, last September. The UDA's "military wing" which refers to itself as the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) accepted responsibility for the attack on Mr Rice. The investigation led by Mr Port has led to several arrests. More than 7,000 statements have been taken in respect of the Nelson murder.
In April, William Thompson, a Portadown LVF man and former member of the British Army's Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) was imprisoned for nine years for firearms and explosives possession as a result of the Port investigation.
It is believed Ms Nelson was targeted because she was viewed as a significant guiding figure in the campaign by Catholic residents of the Garvaghy Road in Portadown to prevent the annual Drumcree Orange parade, and also because she was an effective advocate on behalf of her republican clients.