Devices left at St Pat's day parade - claim

By Jonathan McCambridge

Date: 17 March 2006 Source: Belfast Telegraph

A claim was made today that a number of devices had been left at a St Patrick's Day commemoration in Dungannon.

A caller to the Belfast Telegraph - using a loyalist paramilitary cover name - also claimed that they would now be targeting members of Republican Sinn Fein and the Continuity IRA following the recent disruption of the Love Ulster rally in Dublin.

The man, who used a code word, claimed to represent the Red Hand Defenders, a cover name previously used by the UDA and the LVF.

The statement could not be immediately authenticated, but the codeword was similar to one used in the past.
It said: "Republican Sinn Fein and the Continuity IRA disrupted the Love Ulster Parade in Dublin.

"The commemoration at Edendork Cemetery in Dungannon today. We have placed four devices in and around the cemetery and will continue to attack Republican Sinn Fein members from now on."

The Red Hand Defenders cover name was used by the UDA when they murdered Daniel McColgan, Ciaran Cummings, Gavin Brett and Daniel Lawlor.

More recently it was used during an incident in which a Catholic taxi driver had a gun put to his head.

However, since then the UDA issued a statement claiming that the Red Hand Defenders did not exist and that it was a cover name used "by criminals".

The Love Ulster rally in Dublin had to be cancelled recently after republican protesters rioted and attacked the police.