“Lost” Gun Found By PSNI, Again, Raising Serious Questions – Tóibín
Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín is calling for the government to raise with the Northern Secretary the incredible appearance, disappearance and appearance again of a Weapon and ammunition at a PSNI station in Armagh. He stated;
“A gun, thought to have been used by Glenanne Gang in the murder of Nationalists was handed in to the PSNI Station in Armagh on Monday. When inquiries were made later in the week, into the potentially key evidence in the search for justice for families, the PSNI denied that any gun was handed in to the station. Aontú Mid Ulster Cllr Denise Mullen raised the shocking disappearance of the gun in public and with the Police Ombudsman’s Office. I contacted Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs to bring this development to their attention. Last night PSNI finally admitted that the Gun and the Ammunition is in their possession. This is the second time in 6 years such a situation arose. Six years ago a Gun was handed into the PSNI station in Dungannon. The PSNI initially denied that this was the case and after pressure was brought to bear, admitted it was in their possession”.
“The Glenanne gang murdered 120 people throughout the 1970s, mainly in Armagh and Tyrone. It is widely accepted that the gang, which included members of the RUC police and British army, was also responsible for the Dublin-Monaghan bombings which killed 34 people in 1974. “The Glenanne gang acted with impunity, inflicting death and destruction in collusion with forces of the British state. In fact, the extent of efforts to cover-up the British state’s connection to the gang are only coming to light in recent times. To this day, files held by the British government on the Dublin-Monaghan bombings remain under lock-and-key on so-called “national security” grounds”.
“This is not all history either. In recent months a member of the Glenanne Gang who was convicted for the murder of the father of Aontú Cllr Denise Mullens issued a death threat to Denise in the name of the East Tyrone UVF. The situation of the disappearing gun raises a number of really important questions. Has other important evidence been handed into PSNI stations and without political following up disappeared in a similar fashion. Do actions such as this not seriously damage credibility among Nationalists in the PSNI to be able to do their job fairly. I have asked 3 Taoisigh, Enda Kenny, Leo Varadkar and Mícheál Martin to meet with victims and survivors of the Glenanne Gang to hear their story. Shockingly to date this has not happened. In my experience in Leinster House the establishment parties only take an interest in the north when there is political capital in it for them or when its too late in the development of a crisis. The government must meet with these survivors and they must raise this shock incident with the British Government."
