Police uncover dissident republican Christmas attack plan

Detectives in Belfast have uncovered a dissident republican plot to target police during the Christmas period.

Officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) made a number of arrests and searches in the west of the city on Wednesday as part of their investigation into the plan, which they have linked to the Continuity IRA, the largest dissident republican paramilitary group in Northern Ireland.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan said the arrests followed weeks of intelligence-led surveillance and searches of suspected dissident republicans store houses in inner City Belfast.

He said the PSNI had disrupted a "real and credible" threat to murder police officers and other innocent people in Belfast.

He added: "This group is dedicated to terrorism, they are a threat to the community and they were intent on killing police officers. We will continue to target them and bring them before the courts and we are determined to keep people safe. We have put a lot of resources into this investigation and we are confident that we have stopped these men from carrying out their plan. But it is important to remember that the threat of attack remains and we will continue to take steps to ensure the safety of the public," he said.

The arrests and searches on Wednesday were part of an ongoing operation by the PSNI to disrupt dissident republican activity in advance of the Christmas period. In recent weeks, police have increased their patrols in areas where there is a known paramilitary presence and are carrying out additional searches and checkpoints.

The PSNI has also appealed to the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police. Mr McEwan said: "We are asking the public to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police. This could include, for example, seeing people acting suspiciously, or seeing vehicles or packages that do not seem to belong in a particular area.

"We are also asking people to be aware of the signs of a terrorist attack, such as surveillance of potential targets or stockpiling of weapons or explosives. If you see anything suspicious, please report it to the police."

It is not the first time Irish police have uncovered a dissident republican Christmas attack plot. In December 2015, the PSNI arrested 10 men in the Belfast area as part of an investigation into a plan by dissident republicans to carry out a bombing attack on a police station in the run-up to Christmas