MLA calls for dissidents to be ‘eradicated’ after arms find

A UUP MLA branded dissident republicans “parasites” who “must be eradicated” after a homemade rocket launcher and terrorist-related items were found at a home in Dundrod.

Steve Aiken also praised the PSNI after the discovery of the cache at an address on the Budore Road.

After the police were alerted to the items on Sunday afternoon, they had to close roads overnight while searching for the homemade rocket launcher, which was found to be in full working order.

It is believed the weapon could have been stored at the address for up to a month.

Army bomb experts were called to the scene on Monday to remove the items from the property for further investigation.

Detectives from the PSNI’s serious crime branch found a bag in a ditch just 40 metres away from the rocket launcher, containing a baseball bat, a replica pistol, a hammer and gloves.

Some of the items discovered by the PSNI

Mr Aiken said: “Once again, the entire community has reason to be grateful to the PSNI following the discovery of a rocket launcher, replica pistol and other terrorist-related items in the Budore Road area of Dundrod.

“I am particularly concerned at the recovery of the rocket launcher and am in no doubt that lives have been saved as a result.

“The people of south Antrim want to live in peace in a normal society. It is incumbent on everyone to give the PSNI all the support possible to thwart the activities of those gangsters who seek to acquire weapons and impose their will on communities.

“These groups are parasites who must be eradicated.”

Detective Inspector David Lowans said those who left the weapon had “no regard for who might come across it”.

“Our investigation is at an early stage”, he added, “however, we now believe that the improvised rocket launcher has been in the Budore Road area for between three to four weeks.

“We have also established the launcher was viable, which demonstrates that whoever left it there had no regard for who might come across it.

“While I am not able to link the finds at this stage, they bear all the hallmarks of dissident republicans, and this is a strong line of enquiry. We are carrying out further searches of the area today following information from members of the public.

“I would like to thank the community for their co-operation in this operation and I would also like to appeal to anyone who may have noticed any suspicious activity in the area in the past four weeks or discovered anything suspicious to contact detectives at Castlereagh on 101.”