CIRA claims Belfast attack

The Continuity IRA has claimed responsibility for a grenade attack on the PSNI in west Belfast on Wednesday.

A PSNI armoured vehicle was struck by the grenade during the early morning attack, but no injuries were reported.

In a statement to media, the Continuity IRA said the attack was “carried out by Volunteers of the Irish Republican Army acting under orders of the Continuity Army Council”.

“One of our units in Belfast carried out the attack using a military hand grenade,” it said.

Wednesday’s attack marks a continuation of CIRA activity across the north in recent months, with significant attacks also taking place in Fermanagh and Armagh.

Politicians condemned the incident. Sinn Féin West Belfast election candidate Paul Maskey condemned the attack as “reckless and futile”.

DRUGS SEIZED BY NEW IRA

Meanwhile, a distinct armed group, the New IRA, has said it used cameras and vehicle tracking devices to intercept drugs worth £50,000 in the north west.

The organisation warned that the cocaine was set for distribution in the Derry area and it named three people it says are linked to the drugs. It also suggested that the gang leader was being protected by the PSNI for its own purposes.

The cocaine was seized at a house in the Inishowen area after an investigation in both Derry and Donegal.

“We used cameras and tracking devices,” a spokesperson said. “These people are involved in the major supply of cocaine. The main target we believe is being protected by British crown forces.”

Several plastic bags and a plastic bottle containing white powder as well as a small set of scales were displayed for journalists, along with a black sports store bag, before being destroyed.

The spokesperson said those involved in the distribution of drugs in the Derry area had 48 hours to cease their activities and come forward to the community, and that the safety of anyone who did so would be guaranteed.

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