THE IRA, or a breakaway group possibly acting in sympathy with the INLA, are suspected of carrying out a gun attack on an RUC officer in Moy, Co Tyrone, according to RUC and Garda sources.
The part time policeman and his wife escaped uninjured despite having their house at Curran's Brae, Moy, riddled with almost 60 rounds of automatic rifle fire early yesterday.
The attack marked a potentially serious undermining of the ceasefires as it was the first suspected republican paramilitary attack on a member of the British army or RUC since the IRA called its ceasefire in August 1994.
The British government refused, however, to meet a DUP challenge and concede the shooting was a breach of the ceasefire. The Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, said the shooting was inexcusable, but appeared to have been the sort of "sporadic" incident experienced in the North "from time to time".
Sir Patrick said he was still confident the current level of peace would remain. While there has been much speculation about who was responsible, no organisation has so far admitted the attack.
One theory being examined by the RUC is that IRA members in *north Armagh, who are disillusioned with the ceasefire and who have family and paramilitary connections with the INLA, may have carried out the attack in reprisal for the RUC's initial handling of the funeral of INLA leader Gino Gallagher.
Such an attack - if carried out without central IRA approval - would place these dissident republicans in clear breach of IRA discipline and subject to severe punishment.
Another theory is that the IRA exploited the discord over Mr Gallagher's funeral to express its dissatisfaction with current political developments. "The INLA isn't going to operate without the say so of the IRA," a senior RUC source told The Irish Times. "So, I think it is more likely that the IRA was responsible. I think they are using this to send out a message saying, `We're still here, look what we can do'."
Police recovered 57 spent cases from the scene of the shooting. It is believed they were fired from one or two AK47 automatic rifles the main IRA weapon. The police are to carry out ballistic tests to determine whether the gun or guns were used in previous paramilitary attacks.
Del Supt Neville McCoubrey in charge of the investigation, said the part time officer and his wife were lucky to be alive after nine shots penetrated the window of the bedroom where they were sleeping at 4.15 am. yesterday.
"It has all the hallmarks of attacks that have been carried out by terrorist groupings in the past, said Supt McCoubrey. It was a blatant attempt to murder a policeman, he added.
Mr Mitchel McLaughlin, the Sinn Fein chairman, declined condemn the attack but said he hoped it was an isolated incident. "I know nothing at all about the details of the incident, and I think it would be foolish to rush judgment," he added.
The Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, said the shooting was disturbing. There were indications the attack may have been the work of a republican splinter group, he added. The Rev Ian Paisley, the DUP leader, said he was in no doubt the IRA was involved in the shooting, "if not directly, indirectly".
The Church of Ireland Primate, Dr Robin Eames, who visited the family, also condemned the attack. See also page 5