Dissident amalgamation condemned

It was reported last week that both organisations had amalgamated to end confusion in republican heartlands which had been created by the existence of so many dissident groups. The new grouping said it’s members would target police officers and soldiers.

Condemning the move Mr Devenney said: “Here we are in 2012 trying to move the City forward with all the events we have planned for the UK City of Culture next year. This annoys me when you have activity like this going on and we are trying to promote the City to its best this does not help the image abroad. This move my the IRA and RAAD has all the hallmarks of an announcement staged merely for publicity.

“Lets be very honest and clear here; The previous regime of the IRA tried for decades to try and do what these people have said they are going to do, and I can assure the people of this City that this new group will not succeed either.

“I would encourage anyone who knows where these people live and people who know who they are to give the names of these people to the PSNI or other groups that can forward this type of information to the police,” Mr Devenney said, adding: “These people are the very same people who left the last Sinn Fein/IRA regime and there will those within Sinn Fein now who know the identity of these people and they need to step up to the plate and hand that information to the authorities.”

Mr Devenney added: People should be under no illusion that these are people who are disaffected with the peace process and involved with Sinn Fein in previous years, so current Sinn Fein members must know who these people are.”