Police make ‘significant’ find of guns, ammunition and pipe bombs in Belfast UVF probe

Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Hill said it was part of a long-running pre-planned operation against the East Belfast UVF.

Four searches were carried out at a number of residential properties and one business premises in the lower Newtownards Road area, and four men aged 34, 47, 49 and 51 years, were arrested.

The men were taken to Musgrave Serious Crime suite for questioning.

Two vehicles, balaclavas and UVF emblems and flags were also seized during the searches.

The firearms were described as pistols. All the seizures are to be tested, but are being treated by police as working weapons.

There was a security operation in areas of east Belfast on Friday evening into the early hours of Saturday while the searches were ongoing.

Detective Superintendent Hill, who is the head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Organised Crime Branch, said the storage of the explosive devices meant that roads had to be closed and local people evacuated during the operation.

“We would like to thank the public for their patience as we managed this operation,” he said.

“The storing of these weapons in this residential area also demonstrates the reckless actions of paramilitaries who don’t care who they cause harm to or disrupt, or put at risk.

“East Belfast UVF continues to be involved in a range of paramilitary crime, including violence, intimidation, money laundering and drug dealing causing harm to their own communities.

“The Paramilitary Crime Task Force remains committed to the relentless pursuit of East Belfast UVF to tackle the harm they pose to local people.”

He added: “I feel this is a very significant find that denies East Belfast UVF and paramilitaries the opportunities to cause harm to the local communities by us taking it off the streets.”

Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly said the discovery of guns and pipe bombs in east Belfast was “deeply concerning”.

“I welcome the fact that these weapons have been taken off the streets,” he said.

“The continued stance of these armed loyalist gangs poses a direct threat to our democracy.

“This latest seizure should be seen in the context of other recent weapons finds, as well as threats to Irish government ministers.

“It is now almost 25 years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. There is no place in our society for armed groups that are actively involved in drug dealing, extortion, racketeering, threats and murder.

“They should disband now and leave the whole community in peace.”

Mr Kelly added: “There is an onus on all political leaders to call out this outrageous activity and call for an immediate end to the existence of these groups.”

In a separate development, the PSNI has failed to say why it has apparently singled out one UVF mural memorial – out of countless terror memorials across NI - for a criminal investigation.