British marine arrested in N. Ireland terror probe
LONDON: A British marine was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of terror offences as part of an investigation into Northern Ireland-related terrorism, police and security sources said.
The 30-year- old was arrested in Somerset, southwest England, on suspicion of being involved in the preparation for acts of terrorism, police said in a statement.
Contacted by AFP, security sources confirmed reports that the man is a member of the Royal Marines, an elite infantry unit, and the arrest is linked to the discovery of two arms caches in Northern Ireland earlier this year.
An armour-piercing improvised rocket and two anti-personnel mines were among the cache recovered in those raids, as well as bomb-making items.
“Today’s arrest was pre-planned and intelligence-led as part of an investigation into Northern Ireland-related terrorism,” the police statement said.
No armed police were involved and there was ‘no intelligence to suggest an immediate threat’.
Searches were under way at an address and a wooded area in Devon, southwest England, and in Northern Ireland.
Bomb disposal units attended during one raid on Wednesday in Larne, a port in Northern Ireland, where one of the arms caches was found.
The Ministry of Defence said it was aware of the arrest and would assist the investigation.
The 1998 Good Friday peace accords largely ended the three decades of deadly violence in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles, in which 3,500 people were killed. — AFP