Ahoghill bombs: Paramilitaries just ‘self serving criminals’ says DUP man

He was speaking primarily in the wake of claims that the UDA were behind recent pipe bomb attacks in Ahoghill but Mr. McIlveen has previously been outspoken in branding elements of the UDA in North Antrim as ‘parasites on the community’ when commenting on police intelligence that members were involved in the killing of Ballymena man, Brian ‘Brick’ McIlhagga.

Mr. McIlveen is now seeking an urgent meeting with PSNI Head of Crime Operations, ACC Will Kerr, to discuss paramilitary attacks in Ballymena with particular emphasis on the explosions in Ahoghill.

Speaking on the matter Mr McIlveen said: “For too long the streets of our province have been plagued with self serving, greedy criminals who rather than contribute to their community feather their nests with the proceeds of crime and bring fear and destruction to the vast majority of right thinking people. This reached a climax with the scandalous attacks in Brookfield Gardens last week.

“Ahoghill is a glowing example of what can be achieved when a community invests in its own area and it is simply unacceptable that the many should have their hard work undone by a few. I will be calling on the head of crime operations of PSNI to ensure that no stone is left unturned, that no resource is left unused to ensure that those behind these attacks regardless of their label are brought before a court and sentenced for their terrorist acts, that is I believe what the majority of right thinking people in North Antrim want to see.

“It would be small minded for anyone to paint a picture that paramilitarism carries less value to one side than another. Organised criminal groups that seek to operate beneath the law was utterly contemptible in the troubles and it is equally contemptible now, I and my party unconditionally condemned it then and we condemn it no less now regardless of who was behind it.”