Brothers arrested after arms raid

TWO Lurgan men are believed to have been arrested following an arms raid by police in the south.

The men are thought to be brothers and related to prominent republican, Colin Duffy.

Gardai staged a raid on a Belturbet home in County Cavan on Friday evening.

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Three men aged 38, 39 and 44 years, were all questioned under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act at Ballyconnell and Cavan garda stations.

Security sources have said they are all regarded as major figures in dissident republican activities on both sides of the border and have been under investigation in the past by gardai and the PSNI.

The arrests were part of an operation by gardai to disrupt dissident groups thought to be highly active in border counties.

One man, David Jordan, 38 of Donaghmore, Co Tyrone is accused of being a member of an illegal organisation, namely the IRA, and of the unlawful possession of a semi-automatic pistol and eight rounds of 9mm ammunition.

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He appeared in a Special Criminal Court in Dublin on Sunday and was remanded on custody to reappear tomorrow.

The arrests were part of an operation aimed at thwarting the activities of sympathisers of both the Real IRA and Continuity IRA.

Anti-terrorist officers are satisfied that members of the two groups have been co-operating on the ground in some areas, although there is no official connection between the groups at leadership level.

The suspects are believed to have been living in the area for some time, but it's believed that two of the men arrested have addresses in Lurgan.

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Locally sources have said the two men are brothers and are related to prominent Lurgan republican Colin Duffy.

Gardai have been co-operating closely with the PSNI in monitoring the movements of suspect dissidents, particularly those who have been travelling regularly across the border between the two jurisdictions.

Colin Duffy is currently on remand accused of being involved in the killing of two soldiers last March.

Sappers Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey were shot dead at the gates of the Masseerene army base in Antrim.

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Supporters and family members staged a meeting following his arrest last year.

During the meeting Paul Duffy described his brother as an "unashamed republican" who had "always stood up for the people in this community and always would".