Police in Northern Ireland have been questioning four men from protestant backgrounds in recent days in relation to the attempted murder of one of their own senior officers.
The arrests surprised many, as responsibility for the attack on Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was claimed by the New IRA, a republican group active on both sides of the border.
Two of the four arrested were released in the last 48 hours.
DCI Caldwell was shot several times at a sports complex near Omagh in Co Tyrone just over a week ago. He remains in a critical but stable condition.
The claim of responsibility by the New IRA was made in a typed statement which was taped to a wall in the Creggan area of Derry on Sunday. It was signed ‘T O’Neill,’ a name used by the New IRA in the past.
"There certainly have been allegations recently that the New IRA, does have contacts with loyalists," said Dr Aaron Edwards, an expert in the activity of dissident groups in Northern Ireland, speaking to Katie Hannon on Upfront: The Podcast.
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Dr Edwards lectures at the UK Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst. He says republican groups like the New IRA and groups from loyalist areas can have a mutual interest in disrupting the work of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
"It was easily buried under the bigger ideologies of republicanism and loyalism. But there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is a continuation of that, that individuals within those groups pursuing criminal interests are familiar with one another and do rely upon one another."
DCI Caldwell is a high profile officer who has led investigations into numerous murders and serious crime cases in recent years. He headed up the investigation into the murder of PSNI Constable Ronan Kerr in 2011, and regularly led press conferences in relation to such cases.
"The New IRA was formed just over 10 years ago." Dr Edwards said. "It's an amalgamation of different violent dissident republican groups and they've come together for a new push against the security forces, the security services, primarily in Northern Ireland."
"I think the New IRA is not just a politically-oriented phenomenon, it's tied to drug gangs in other parts of Ireland. They do engage in criminality, almost certainly on a daily basis. Sometimes that's for self aggrandisement and financial gain. Other times it's for their so-called cause."
All episodes of 'Upfront: The Podcast' can be found here, or wherever you get your podcasts.
