'Spooks' engineer arrest of 32 CSM member.

The Ard Comhairle of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement have urged republicans to be vigilant following the arrest and subsequent approach by British security services to one of its members from South Armagh.

On the evening of Sunday 9th January, the Ard Comhairle member was driving in Forkhill when he was pursued, stopped and detained by an RUC/PSNI landrover and marked car. The RUC/PSNI members informed the republican that this was a routine stop and proceeded to check his car. He was informed that his headlight was 'dim' and that the wall of his tyre was unsuitable for the cold conditions. He was then asked for his address and when he gave it the RUC man told him he didn't believe that was his address and as he did not have indentity to prove it he was arrested and taken to Banbridge RUC station. An RUC/PSNI member drove the republicans car to Banbridge also.

The 32 CSM member who is originally from the 26 counties was asked on arrival at the reception area of the barracks if he wanted them to contact the Irish embassy in London to inform them he was in custody in the United Kingdom. The republican also noticed that a large welcome sign in the station was translated into 20 languages, needless to say Irish was not one. The man was held for 3 hours before being release on five hundred pounds bail.

When leaving the reception he was approached by two men who asked him to "go for a drink and have a chat with them". The republican recognised as the same two men who had made an earlier approach to him. On that occassion the 32 CSM member, who is an building contractor, was rang up concerning an extention and arranged to meet the caller at the B&Q car park in Newry. The person he meet asked him to follow him and took him to isolated and derelict farm buildings in the Mullaglass area of Newry. Here two other men stepped from out houses and the republican, sensing something was not right locked the doors and refused to get out of the car. One of the men came forward with a set of plans but immediately produced a large sum of money and stated that there was no job but that they wanted to talk about the 'political situation', they were told to 'go away' in less polite terms and the republican left and notified his solicitor and the 32 CSM.

Likewise on this occassion the spooks approach was again rebuffed. When the republican went to retrieve his car from outside the station it was torn apart and he was given a docket stating that the car was searched because he 'associated with suspected dissidents'.

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement utterly condemn this arrest and state that it was clearly engineered at the behest of RUC special branch in order to facilitate an approach by them in conjunction with MI5. The movement urge anyone who is subjected to such an approach to make contact with their solicitor immediately and we again call on republicans to be vigilant and aware of the wide variety and methods used by the MI5 led British security apparatus currently operating in Ireland.