Three held after rocket launcher stash found

THREE suspected IRA men, including the two brothers, remain in garda custody today after yesterday's seizure of four rocket launchers.

The weapons were being ferried from Co Tipperary to south Armagh when they were intercepted.

One of the brothers previously served a jail sentence in relation to a sickening extortion scheme and the two men, who are both from Limerick city, have been on the garda radar for over a decade.

"In terms of dissident activity in Limerick – these brothers are at the very top of the food chain. They have long been suspected of being heavily involved in the manufacture and distribution of pipebombs," said a senior source.

Detectives think they are linked to a cache of pipebombs found in the village of Murroe, about 7km outside Limerick city, last December.

hnews@herald.ie