Men arrested in Cork believed to be Provisional IRA members

Four men, arrested following the seizure of three loaded handguns by Gardaí
last night, are believed to be members of a Provisional IRA gang. The four,
aged from their mid-20s to late 30s, are still being held at separate Garda
stations in Cork. They are all from the Cork region. A number of baseball
bats were also seized from the car in which they were travelling.

Three automatic pistols which were seized by Gardaí after they stopped a
stolen car at a checkpoint in Mitchelstown in North Cork last night. Loaded
and ready for use, the weapons and ammunition appear to be new and
certainly bear no signs of being stored in an arms dump for any period of
time. This afternoon Garda technical experts continued to examine the Ford
Escort which was stolen from the Quays in Waterford last Tuesday. 

There has been a significant amount of dissident Republican activity in the
area. Bombs and bomb making equipment were seized in Cahir, County
Tipperary just over a year ago and 35 kilos of commercial explosives were
discovered near Kilmacow in South Kilkenny just before Christmas. 

However, what is most worrying about last night's developments is that the
four men are not thought to be dissident Republicans but members of a
Provisional IRA gang and that could well have wider implications in terms
of the political talks now at such a delicate stage.