SIX ARRESTED IN REAL IRA SWOOP
Controlled explosions carried out at farm
SIX Real IRA suspects were arrested yesterday in connection with an 18-month terrorist bombing campaign waged on the UK mainland.
Armed police swooped on an address in north London at dawn and arrested five men who were taken to Paddington Green police station for questioning.
A sixth man was arrested at an address in Liverpool and officers from Scotland Yard's Anti-terrorist Branch travelled to the city to question him.
The addresses in London and Liverpool were being searched by forensic specialists but detectives would not reveal whether bomb equipment or guns had been discovered.
The suspects are all aged between 20 and 40. One is thought to be from the Republic of Ireland while the rest are believed to be from England.
They are being questioned about a series of at least eight terrorist attacks going back to June last year.
Several of the attacks took place in west London, leading to speculation that a Real IRA cell was based there.
Last night, police started the search of a disused pig farm at West Ardsley, West Yorkshire as part of the ongoing operation.
Residents were evacuated from the village of Tingley near Leeds.
Four controlled explosions were carried out and firearms were found. There were no arrests and the search is expected to continue today.
The Real IRA - whose most notorious atrocity was the Omagh bombing - are regarded as the biggest threat to the Northern Ireland peace process.
There have been fears that they could launch more attacks in the run-up to Christmas.
SIX Real IRA suspects were arrested yesterday in connection with an 18-month terrorist bombing campaign waged on the UK mainland.
Armed police swooped on an address in north London at dawn and arrested five men who were taken to Paddington Green police station for questioning.
A sixth man was arrested at an address in Liverpool and officers from Scotland Yard's Anti-terrorist Branch travelled to the city to question him.
The addresses in London and Liverpool were being searched by forensic specialists but detectives would not reveal whether bomb equipment or guns had been discovered.
The suspects are all aged between 20 and 40. One is thought to be from the Republic of Ireland while the rest are believed to be from England.
They are being questioned about a series of at least eight terrorist attacks going back to June last year.
Several of the attacks took place in west London, leading to speculation that a Real IRA cell was based there.
Last night, police started the search of a disused pig farm at West Ardsley, West Yorkshire as part of the ongoing operation.
Residents were evacuated from the village of Tingley near Leeds.
Four controlled explosions were carried out and firearms were found. There were no arrests and the search is expected to continue today.
The Real IRA - whose most notorious atrocity was the Omagh bombing - are regarded as the biggest threat to the Northern Ireland peace process.
There have been fears that they could launch more attacks in the run-up to Christmas.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/397
Published Date: 16-Nov-01
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