PSNI use seized phone in shocking entrapment plot

A mobile phone, confiscated when the PSNI stopped and searched the partner of a republican activist last month, was subsequently used by the PSNI to try to get her fiancé to breach his bail conditions, Saoradh has said.

In statements on their website, the party described the “alarming forced stopping” on September 17th, when the woman was dangerously forced off the road in Tyrone by two blacked out BMW jeeps full of masked and armed Crown Force personnel.

The car was brought to a stop by masked and armed men, who had weapons pointed at the car containing two women. They then went on to call one of the women a “terrorist” and demanded her phone which they seized and tried to demand the passcode.

Saoradh said the “terrifying encounter” was because one she is the partner of a Republican activist who is currently on heavily restrictive bail.

Saoradh said her phone was subsequently used to send text messages to initiate conversations and set up a meeting to deliberately breach her fiancé’s bail conditions.

“What has transpired since shows the desperate and vile nature of the British State, and the lengths they will go to,” they said.

“With information from the seized phone, occupying forces have been texting other Republican activists pretending to be the Republican who is on bail.

“They have been trying to engage in conversation, and even attempted to set up a meeting.

“The facts are, that the Republican activist who is on bail is not allowed to associate with other Republican activists. So this was clearly an operation of entrapment.

“This was an attempt to revoke the bail of the Republican activist, take him away from his family and intern him in MI5 controlled Maghaberry Gaol.

“Only for the foresight of those Republicans targeted in this entrapment scheme, we would surely be highlighting yet another Republican interned at the behest of the occupation.”

Calling for republicans to be vigilant and for lawyers to “robustly” challenge the practice of seizing mobile phones, they said the entrapment bid shed light on the practice of what actually happens to mobile phones once seized by the PSNI or British Army.

“There is ample evidence in our communities that private information stored on seized devices have been uses by MI5 to break up marriages and families, threaten those who employ Republicans/ex Republican Prisoners and blackmail people into working for the British Occupation,” they said.

“Worse still is the dark hand of collusion; the fact that the PSNI continually try and cover up collusion operations concrete the fact they are not welcome in our communities.

“They are not to be trusted by anyone.”

Urgent Appeal