Members of the special branch have arrested a Belfast man and two Galway women at a house in the Inveran area of County Galway in connection with a plot to import guns from the United States. The house and its immediate surroundings have now been sealed off for forensic examination. A man has also been arrested in Philadelphia. It is understood that he is Irish. Gardaí also seized about six handguns and a quantity of ammunition in the Galway house, it is suspected that these weapons had been posted in the United States. It is believed that a Republican group is behind the plot but which one is not known.
The arrests followed the appearance in court in Florida today of three people charged with sending arms through the mail. The operation involved Gardaí, British police and the FBI. The three were arrested in Weston, Florida, after packages containing weapons and ammunition, which were posted to Ireland, were intercepted by British airport authorities. They were held on charges of exporting weapons and ammunition through the mail and conspiring to export weapons. Eight packages labelled as toys were intercepted in Britain, each of which was found to contain a revolver. It is believed that a Republican group is responsible, but which one still is not known.
The Florida arrests were the culmination of a joint operation between the Gardaí, British police and FBI co-operated. Security forces became aware some time ago that a number of Irish people were involved in a plot to import guns to the Republic by posting them to addresses in rural areas. The Gardaí, British police and FBI worked closely in the investigation and a number of suspects were put under surveillance. Various agencies were alerted when airport authorities in the British midlands intercepted eight packages. All the packages were mailed from south Florida. They were labelled as toys, but when opened each was found to contain a revolver. Contrary to earlier reports, none of the packages was destined for the North. All were addressed to people in the Republic and Gardaí began interviewing some of those today. Before news of the operation broke, Gardaí moved at the weekend to detain a man suspected of having received such a package. However, he was released after questioning.
Security sources in Ireland say those named by the FBI as having been involved in the plot have not featured in previous investigations. A dissident Republican group is suspected, but which one is not yet clear. Gardaí say they are looking at all Republican groups. It is not clear if those arrested are legal residents of the United States. The FBI says that between late April and early May, the suspects bought approximately 26 handguns and 12 shotguns from a Florida gun dealer. According to an FBI affidavit the guns were bought for a cause the defendants were "very devoted to".
