Anti-terror police have arrested 14 men during a raid at the funeral of a dissident republican in Northern Ireland.
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The “Sentinel” understands that at least six of those arrested come from Londonderry, whilst others come from Dublin and County Tyrone.
Fifteen men were arrested following a paramilitary display at the funeral of the dissident republican who was shot dead in Dublin last month. His death has been heavily linked to an ongoing gangland feud in the Irish capital.
The Facebook page of the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association (IRPWA) on April 27 describes him as a former inmate of Portlaoise, and called on all IRPWA members to attend.
One of the searches took place at a house in the Circular Road of Derry.
Earlier today, men wearing military-style fatigues flanked the coffin of Barr before he was laid to rest at St Mary’s Church in Strabane.
He said the operation was “appropriate, necessary and proportionate”.
Thursday’s arrests came weeks after police faced criticism for not intervening during similar paramilitary displays at a number of republican events in Northern Ireland to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising against British rule in Dublin.
“Every police operation is carried out taking in sensitivity to the community and in that regard every situation is different”.
“We don’t respond to political pressure, we are cognisant of it”, he said. There is an expectation on the police service to take action.
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He didn’t confirm who the men were, or if they were carrying weapons or guns. The spokesman added that the males were detained under the Terrorism Act.
