Sinn Fein attacks British government over Castlereagh

Sinn Fein North Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly has hit out at the British government over what he has described as "the dirty tricks campaign of arrest, raids and intimidation against republicans".

The response by Mr Kelly comes after a week in which a number of senior republicans have been arrested in raids in connection with the Castlereagh break-in on March 17.

Mr Kelly said: "The Castlereagh raid was an inside job. Whatever the purpose behind it, the attacks on republicans by the Special Branch and their uniformed agencies are both a smokescreen to divert attention away from the real culprits and a means of attacking and undermining the peace process."

Earlier this week, the former IRA leader Raymond McCartney and his brother were arrested in connection with the Castlereagh raid. Both men were released without charge. And last weekend, six republicans, including former IRA prisoner and Maze escapee Bobby Storey, were arrested in swoops involving up to 400 officers.

Five of those arrested were released without charge and one man was charged with possessing information likely to be of use to terrorists. The charge is unrelated to the Castlereagh break-in.

On the day that the PSNI received its first new batch of officers, and the new flag and uniform of the police service were launched, Mr Kelly went on to say that in spite of changes there was "no difference between the RUC and the PSNI".

He stated: "The UDA it is alleged has threatened 'war or peace' on the back of 30 bomb and gun attacks in a 24-hour period. Where are the arrests? What has the police force done about all this? Where are the convictions?

"The reality is that the police force has instead chosen to target and attack the Catholic community of north Belfast," he said.

(GMcG)