The British army and the RUC have launched investigations after two drunken off-duty British soldiers were allegedly detained by the IRA in west Belfast and later released unharmed after a reprimand and "a cuff" around the head.
An army spokesman confirmed a weekend incident was being investigated. "We are aware of an incident involving two off-duty soldiers in the Belfast area at the weekend. The circumstances of the incident are the subject of an investigation by the RUC and the military authorities."
It is thought the soldiers were given a "telling off" by the IRA for drunken behaviour and for involving themselves in a fight with republicans in the early hours of Sunday morning as the two attempted to flag down a taxi.
According to the Guardian, the soldiers were taken before a west Belfast IRA commander but later released unharmed, seen as a sign the July 1997 ceasefire is holding. The soldiers reported the incident to the RUC.
Military sources have indicated that the soldiers will be blamed for the incident because off-duty soldiers in the North are instructed to keep a low profile. It is thought the two men are attached to the Signal Corps based at the Lisburn army headquarters.