The Loyalist Volunteer Force said yesterday that a number of weapons had been removed from one of its arms dumps in the mid-Ulster area. The news has increased fears of a possible upsurge in loyalist violence arising from an internal feud between the UVF and LVF.
A source close to the LVF in Portadown said yesterday that two AK-47 assault rifles and three automatic handguns had been "stolen" from their hiding place. The LVF said that its "army council" was investigating the disappearance of the weapons.
The source said that it was too early to say if the weapons had been taken by a dissident loyalist group. He went on to say that involvement by the security forces had not been ruled out.
The LVF did not discount the possibility that members of its own organisation might have removed the weapons. "The LVF wants to highlight that these guns have been stolen from a dump", the source said. "The LVF army council have not authorised their removal or sanctioned their use".
There is growing concern that the weapons could be used in the spiralling internal loyalist feud in the area. Long-running tensions between the UVF and LVF in the mid-Ulster area have intensified following the shooting in January of Mr Richard Jameson, a Portadown businessman. The LVF has been blamed for Mr Jameson's death.
Last month, the bodies of Mr Andrew Robb (19) and Mr David McIlwane (18) were found near Tandragee in Co Armagh. They had been beaten and stabbed a number of times. The UVF is suspected of being involved in the killings.
There has been a significant increase in British army and RUC patrols in loyalist areas of Portadown following the recent murders. Security chiefs fear that any further escalation in loyalist violence could have a serious impact on the North's faltering peace process.