25 September 1997 Edition

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Ardoyne residents discount CAC story

RESIDENTS OF Ardoyne in North Belfast have been in touch with An Phoblacht to say that a story in the Irish News on Tuesday 23 September was "inaccurate".

The paper claimed that four or five unarmed IRA Volunteers disarmed a member of the Continuity Army Council who was about to launch an attack on the crown forces last Friday night at Alliance Avenue.

The paper quoted a source who maintained that the CAC member would have had to shoot the IRA men to prevent them taking his weapon but was "not prepared to do this".

However, local people say that on Friday night last local people saw a man with a gun at Alliance Avenue who they say was "either drunk or on drugs".

The residents were afraid what this gunman "might do or what he might be up to", An Phoblacht was told.

The residents asserted that it was local people who disarmed the gunman because they were worried and that the incident had nothing to do with the IRA.

"This man was out of it, it was a dangerous situation and it was for this reason that the residents disarmed this gunman".

An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland