AS DETAILS emerge of the foiled plot to murder a Limerick man serving in the British Army over the Christmas break, serious concerns have been raised over the increase in recruitment of members to a faction group of the Continuity IRA, led by a Limerick-based terrorist boss.
Gardai became aware of plans to murder the soldier in what was believed to be a move by the Limerick terrorist leader to gain support and credibility among higher ranking dissident republicans.
The intended target is believed to be from the Southill area of the city and was involved in the funeral ceremonies for Princess Diana in 1997.
The plot involved one member of the group befriending the soldier on facebook and subsequently monitoring his plans through his social media posts over the last three months.
The June edition of hardline republican publication Saoirse Nua carried a report claiming that the Limerick branch of the CIRA had identified the soldier and said his life was under threat.
Two Dublin IRA members who were caught in Limerick last January with a Webley revolver hidden in their car are said to be very closely linked to the group behind the plot.
Fianna Fáil Justice spokesperson, Limerick TD Niall Collins, has paid tribute to the gardaí for preventing the terrorist plot and said that he expressed grave concern about the revelations. He has also called for cross-party condemnation of the terrorist plot.
“This terrible attack has been prevented due to the perseverance of gardaí investigating terrorist activity in the wake of the funeral of gang criminal Alan Ryan in September,” he said.
The Garda crackdown on dissident activity increased in recent weeks with the arrests of over a dozen suspects alleged to be members of an illegal organisation. Files are to be sent to the DPP.
The paramilitary display at the funeral of Real IRA leader, Alan Ryan, has been seen as the catalyst to the formation of a major terror group looking to increase their profile throughout the island.
According to a senior security source, the much smaller Continuity IRA gang is seeking to revive their republican campaign through violent crimes.
“This sinister criminality has no place in our country and these thugs must be condemned in the strongest possible way. This particular murder plot was uncovered as a direct result of a major garda operation following the death of Alan Ryan that resulted in a series of arrests in Limerick. At the time, the arrests were criticised by a Limerick Sinn Féin Councillor, who described the operation as an ‘overreaction’,” Deputy Collins said in a statement to Limerick Post.
Citing intelligence sensitivities and an unwillingness to publicly comment on Garda intelligence, Justice Minister Alan Shatter addressed the matter before the Dáil this week.
“The Gardaí remain very active in their efforts to counteract these paramilitary gangs. They continue to monitor them closely and to bear down on all of their criminal activities. A number of recent arrests, charges and convictions in relation to subversive activity is testament to the work of the Gardaí in combating the activities of these terrorist gangs, and the force is to be congratulated for its continued efforts in this regard.
However Minister Shatter went on to warn that to refer to ‘these gangs’ as ‘dissident republicans’ affords them an historical respectability they do not and cannot merit.
“They are no more than groups of criminals involved in drug smuggling, fuel laundering, extortion and armed robbery”.
He added that they “masquerade as republicans in order to legitimise their inherent criminality. There is nothing ‘republican’ whatsoever about organised crime.”
The Government has said that they are continuing to work closely with the PSNI and An Garda Siochána in addressing the threats of terrorists in Ireland.
