80 maritime distress flares in UDA hands

The nautical distress flare used in a sectarian attack on children at the Lamh Dhearg GAA pitch on the outskirts of West Belfast on Sunday 25 January by the UDA was the first one used from a batch of 80 stolen by unionist paramilitaries from business premises in Dunmurry last February.

The flares have been described as a hundred times more powerful than a standard firework and have the capacity to kill or seriously injure.

Sinn Féin Lagan Valley Councillor Paul Butler said revelations that the UDA have more of these deadly devices is worrying.

Butler also hit out at PSNI claims that they do not know which unionist paramilitaries are using these deadly devices: "The PSNI are quick to bring out other intelligence reports about who they think is involved in other activity but there seems to be an acceptable level of violence when it is carried out by loyalists."