The Provisional IRA today denied threatening the father of a man who vanished last May after leaving his Co Armagh home.
Mr Mark O'Connor, whose 24-year-old son Gareth's disappearance has been blamed on the IRA, claimed he had been told by the police last night of the threat against him.
Mr O'Connor said he had been warned "republican paramilitaries" were planning to take "some form of action" against him over "derogatory statements made by him about the Republican Movement in recent days and months".
However, in a statement, the IRA said it was neither responsible for his son's disappearance nor behind any threat.
The Provisionals insisted: "Claims by the PSNI that republicans are threatening action against Mark O'Connor of Armagh city are totally false. We repeat that we were not involved in the disappearance of Gareth O'Connor. Anyone with any information about this case should make it available to the O'Connor family."
Mr O'Connor was last seen in the south Armagh village of Newtownhamilton on May 11th, 2003, as he drove south of the Border on the way to Dundalk, Co Louth, to report at a Garda station as part of his bail conditions.
Neither he nor his car have been seen since, despite extensive searches. Police have blamed the Provisional IRA for his disappearance but it has denied any involvement.