West Tyrone Ulster Unionist MLA Ross Hussey has praised Friday’s policing operation in Strabane in which an armalite-type assault rifle was recovered, and said that it raises further doubts about the IRA decommissioning process.

Mr Hussey, who represents his party on the Policing Board, said:

“For some time now I have questioned the decommissioning of weaponry by the IRA. I am convinced that there were groups within the Provisional IRA that did not comply with the decommissioning instructions and instead retained some of the weapons and ammunition that were under their control.

“The fact is that we do not know what was decommissioned and we certainly have no list of what was not. The Police have described the weapon recovered on Friday evening in Strabane as an armalite-type assault rifle which belonged to the group styling itself the ‘New IRA.’ This  concerns me greatly as it is clearly is a weapon with great firepower and was brought into the area to kill a member of the security forces. Past experience tells us that there is also a threat to the public, not least if a child were to come across it.
 
“Given the number of weapons recovered on both sides of the border by the PSNI and the Garda in recent months, it is clear that a quantity is old Provisional IRA stock. Sinn Fein often demand truth and  transparency from others. It would be helpful if they were to call on the IRA Army Council to come clean on what was decommissioned and more importantly what was not. Only they know exactly what weaponry they had and where it was distributed. They also know what was decommissioned and what remains unaccounted for.
 
“This group has called itself the ‘New IRA.’ Regardless of what title they may use, I see it all as the 'one sows litter.' I am however heartened at the success being enjoyed by both the PSNI and the Garda in terms of weapons seized, arrests made and terrorist operations disrupted. It is quite clear that the Security services have these groups well-penetrated in terms of informants, agents and surveillance operations.
 
“The price of safety is indeed eternal vigilance, and once again I pay tribute to all those members of the security forces, in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, who through their dedication to duty and bravery, protect and defend us all.”