Dissident republicans are targeting a senior UVF figure in south Belfast.
Terror group Oglaigh na hEireann is actively gathering intelligence on a veteran loyalist paramilitary and suspected OnH members have been spotted on the Donegall Road in the Village area of the city as well as Sandy Row.
Well placed sources have told the Sunday World elements connected to the dissident group have been watching the movements of the UVF veteran. He is understood to be one of a number of brothers who are all members of the terror group. advertisement
The fact that OnH has ventured into the heart of loyalist south Belfast will set alarm bells ringing. The move is being seen as a direct result of the revelation in October that the UVF had been gathering intelligence on a number of prominent republicans.
Among them is OnH Belfast chief Carl Reilly. The Sunday World revealed a UVF squad had been keeping tabs on his movements with a view to mounting a hit.
With the dissident group on its knees having lost the bulk of its membership across the city, Reilly is regarded as a lame duck leader and a soft target.
He has lost the respect of the membership and has become increasingly isolated and rarely seen in public.
The move was slammed as reckless by leading UVF members who feared a backlash.
Now the stakes have been raised and there are real concerns that should the dissidents attempt an attack it will provoke a round of tit-for-tat incidents.
Loyalist sources in the south of the city have told us the man targeted will not hesitate to take action.
South Belfast UVF has been left badly splintered by a series of bust ups within the ranks. Local commander Eddie ‘Onions’ Rainey has divided opinion and is understood to be at loggerheads with the man targeted by OnH.
The target is a vitriolic and outspoken critic of cocaine user Rainey, who in turn has tried to discredit his rival with a smear campaigning making a series of false allegations.
He tried to pin a series of race hate incidents on him when in fact it was Rainey who personally ordered a number of attacks which saw foreign nationals intimidated from their homes and racist graffiti daubed on walls.
Rainey’s decision to go into partnership with an eastern European organised crime gang also angered veteran members many of whom secretly support the OnH target.
He challenged Rainey over his partnership with the Russians and is believed to have been behind a number of attacks on members of the organised crime gang. Rainey defied his membership and struck a deal with the Russians and in return for supplying him with cocaine they are allowed to peddle their drugs free from interference.
The Russians even offered to bring a hitman in from Limerick to ‘take out’ Rainey’s rival.
Should dissidents continue to target him or even launch an attack it will ignite a powder keg.
As previously revealed by the Sunday World a splinter group within the UVF in the south of the city have been actively rearming for the last two years. They have slowly built up a cache of clean guns made up mostly of handguns which are more readily used for assassination bids.
Sources have also told us they have brought in Mac10 sub machine guns, US made 9mm US Navy issue pistols and a large quantity of explosives.
The splinter group is believed to have been responsible for a series of pipe bomb attacks including the targeting of Catholic schools in north Belfast.
And were behind an audacious plan to assassinate Old Bailey bomber Marian Price as she underwent medical treatment at Belfast City Hospital. They planned to riddle the car carrying the former IRA woman from her cell at Hydebank to the hospital and it was only the last minute intervention orfRainey that prevented the attack going ahead.
Price was releasedfrom prison 18 months ago after a high profile campaign to win her freedom.
Rainey is seen as an ineffectual leader incapable of holding back the hawks should they decide to launch an attack.
