The RUC has put on display loaded guns it said were found this week near an Antrim pub. But the IRA said while it owned the guns the RUC did not find them near the Derryhirk Inn at Aghagallon. A caller to a local newsroom claiming to represent the IRA "in Armagh said there had been no IRA personnel or equipment in the Aghagallon area.
Police said yesterday that three AKM assault weapons found near Aghagallon were fully primed. The RUC has discounted IRA claims that the guns were found elsewhere. Assistant Chief Constable Mr Freddie Hall said the find was "highly significant and life-saving". He called on the community to support the police in the drive against terrorism.
But the circumstances of a shooting by the security forces at the pub have led to questions from the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin and calls for an inquiry into the event from the SDLP. The Independent Commission for Police Complaints yesterday said its investigation into what happened at Aghagallon could take a "substantial period of time" because of the circumstances and the number of people who must be interviewed.