Republicans questioned over deaths
Republicans questioned over deaths
Two high profile republicans are among the nine people being questioned over the murders of two soldiers and a police officer in Northern Ireland.
The confirmation comes as detectives continue to examine a gun and ammunition seized by police in one of a series of dramatic raids.
Teams of detectives are hunting the dissident republicans who gunned down two soldiers at Massereene barracks in Antrim and shot dead a police constable in Craigavon, Co Armagh.
Police were also attacked by masked youths in the Craigavon area when they arrested high-profile republican Colin Duffy, 41, in a dawn raid at his home in Lurgan over the murder of the two soldiers.
It has also been confirmed that among those arrested was also 32-year-old Declan McGlinchey, son of notorious republican paramilitary leader Dominic McGlinchey who before his death was dubbed the most wanted man in Ireland.
The recent security force murders were carried out by the Continuity IRA and the Real IRA dissident republican groups, who oppose the peace process and reject the decision of the mainstream IRA to end violence.
Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde said said he believed there are 300 dissident republicans involved in the campaign to undermine the Stormont powersharing administration.
He said: "We have identified many of them. We are working flat out with the security services and other specialists to disrupt and arrest them and lock them up for the rest of their natural lives."
Special church services were held to reject the return of violence and to encourage the public to show their support for peace.
