Woman arrested over dissident republican weapons haul is released

The woman was detained alongside a 31-year-old man under the Terrorism Act by detectives from PSNI’s Terrorism Investigation Unit.

They were arrested in the Ballymurphy area on suspicion of dissident republican activity in connection to the discovery of a significant amount of weapons and ammunition in the Rodney Drive area on November 14.

Two properties in the area were also searched and a number of items were seized and will be sent for forensic examination, including a small quantity of suspected Class B drugs.

The suspects were taken to Musgrave Serious Crime Suite for questioning. The 31-year-old man remains in police custody.

Speaking about the searches and arrests, Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Griffin said police believe the weapons and ammunition belong to the New IRA.

He added: “These weapons and ammunition were stored in a reckless manner, on top of a hot boiler in a residential area. Some of the rounds exploded during a fire which caused significant danger to local residents who were in the area and highlighted once again that these terrorists really do not care about the safety of anyone living in their community.

“We will continue to disrupt the activities of those who wish to terrorise the community with their twisted ideologies so that people can live without fear.”