FURTHER evidence that the IRA is intent on extending its campaign of violence to include mortar and booby trap attacks has emerged from the latest arms factory discovery on the Louth Armagh Border.
The arms factory was uncovered last Friday at Ballybinaby, just south of the Border. Yesterday, in a follow up search, gardai discovered a mortar, complete with projectile and detonator, which was ready to be fired.
The mortar, described as a Mark v IRA model, contained sufficient explosive to destroy a medium sized building.
An Army ordnance team was called to the scene yesterday and decided to destroy the device in situ. The resulting explosion broke windows in houses hundreds of yards away. Further searching is now expected in the area for what gardai believe may be the IRA's key bomb making operation.
According to security sources, the equipment found in Co Louth was all new and in the process of being prepared for use.
The arms factory was being used to produce both mortars and booby trap bombs, weapons which have not featured in the IRA's attacks since it called off its ceasefire on February 9th last.
On Friday, gardai discovered pressure mats designed to detonate booby trap bombs. They found radio controlled receivers and remote control devices used: to set off mines and also recovered 1kg of Semtex, 20kg of home made explosives, electrical detonators, a timer power unit for time delay bombs and an assortment of other bomb equipment.
It is known that much of the IRA ordnance used in attacks in Britain has been manufactured in the Louth Armagh area.
Yesterday's find is the latest in the area in recent weeks. On October 2nd, gardai discovered 21 empty mortar tubes in farm outhouses less than a mile away.
The Louth finds follow the discovery of a primed, home made IRA rocket in Donegal nine days ago. Donegal gardai also recovered IRA training manuals and other equipment which will help police and military explosives experts on both sides of the Border in dealing with unexploded IRA bombs.