Lithuanian police hold man in 'IRA' arms swoop
Police in Lithuania have arrested an alleged member of the Real IRA for attempting to buy weapons, prosecutors said today.
Michael Campbell, 35, was held in Vilnius yesterday in an undercover police operation while trying to negotiate an arms supply deal, said a spokeswoman for the Lithuanian prosecutor’s office.
She said Campbell, an Irish citizen, arrived in Lithuania over the weekend with an unidentified woman, who also was detained in the operation. It was not immediately clear what kinds of weapons Campbell was trying to acquire.
The spokeswoman said prosecutors suspected that Campbell is a member of the Real IRA and Lithuanian and Irish security officials co-ordinated the arrest operation.
The two suspects can be held for up to 48 hours before being charged or released.
The Real IRA has struggled to acquire new weapon supplies following the IRA’s decision to disarm and renounce violence in 2005.
