THE Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, yesterday issued a blunt warning to IRA members that they would be never be safe and would spend long years in prison if they continued their campaign of violence.
Responding to the latest spate of IRA attacks in which members of the security forces narrowly missed being killed, Sir Patrick also said the nationalist community was clearly rejecting the IRA by providing information about its activities.
He said: "If you go on with your violence you will never wear the people of Northern Ireland down. We will pursue you with every means open to us under the law. We shall never give up. We shall go to any expense. You will never be safe.
"In the end you will spend long years of your lives in prison convicted often upon information from within your own community, whom you have disgusted by your actions. You will not be admired because in your cruelty and folly you have excluded yourselves from the acceptance that others were willing to give you.
The RUC also condemned the latest IRA attack on one of its patrol vehicles as it passed through the mainly nationalist village of Toomebridge, Co Antrim, on Sunday night.
It emerged that an explosion which occurred close to the RUC Land Rover was caused by one of the IRA's improvised grenade launchers, a weapon known as a PRIG (propelled rocket improvised grenade).
The attack happened at 9.30 pm. on Sunday at Carlane Crescent, a small housing estate in Toomebridge. No RUC member was injured. At first light yesterday a search was carried out in the area and the remains of the rocket discovered. It was made safe by British army ordnance officers.
In a statement last night, a senior local RUC officer said: "This reckless attack was not only an attempt to murder police officers, it was carried out in a busy housing estate and could have killed or seriously injured anyone in the area.
Meanwhile, five south Co Derry men are still being questioned by the RUC following the prevention of another planned IRA rocket attack in Dungiven, another nationalist town about 20 miles from Toomebridge.
The men were arrested during disturbances in the town on Saturday night after the RUC raided a house in Dungiven and found one of the PRIG weapon and a rifle.
It was the second time in just over a month that the RUC had prevented an IRA attack in Dungiven. Another of the rockets was found in the town in early December.
A British soldier who was slightly injured in the IRA booby trap attack on his car in the car park of a Co Down hotel was released from hospital yesterday.
The soldier had a remarkable escape when he apparently shook the car as a precaution to see if a bomb had been planted underneath. The device exploded, blowing the car in half. However, the soldier was thrown clear and received only cuts and bruises. Two other soldiers who were accompanying him suffered only shock.