Ulster Unionist MLA Ross Hussey has condemned the appearance of masked men, at least one of whom was armed, in the village of Park near Dungiven last Friday night, and the issuing of death threats.
Mr Hussey said:
“The north west of Northern Ireland has been subjected to a number of incidents whereby dissident so-called republicans have sought to threaten or use violence to instil fear in communities and engage in attacks on the security forces.
“Last Friday three masked men appeared in the normally quiet village of Park, issued threats against drug dealers, fired three shots in the air and left.
“It is the job of the Police to combat drug dealers. Criminals and gangsters who hide in the shadows and issue threats are not acting in the interests of anyone but themselves and serve no cause but their own.
“The appearance of weapons once again begs the question as to what actually was decommissioned. One photograph showed a hand gun which certainly did not appear to be new stock and I shall be raising the incident with the Chief Constable.
“This incident once again demonstrates the futility of those republicans who are still wedded to violence. As I have said before, they are not uniting Ireland, nor are they striking a blow against the British State. They need to accept that their efforts are doomed to failure and get off the backs of local people once and for all.”