Two police officers were injured, one of whom is critical, during a major customs operation in South Armagh, which ended with the seizure of almost 7.5 million smuggled cigarettes.
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Tags: police Local News
The police officers were hit by a van which drove at speed and failed to stop outside premises that were about to be searched near the village of Meigh at around 1pm on Tuesday.
It is understood the cigarettes were recovered from inside the premises.
The critically-injured police officer was airlifted from the scene by helicopter and taken to the Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry.
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He was later transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
The condition of the second officer is not believed to be life-threatening.
The van was discovered a short time later across the border, in Dromad.
Two men have been arrested.
Sinn Fein MP for Newry & Armagh, Conor Murphy said the incident was "to be condemned".
"Our thoughts are with those who are injured", he added.
"We would expect that a full investigation into what happened will reveal more information. I understand that two people have been arrested and I welcome the fact that a significant amount of illegal cigarettes has been seized."
SDLP Newry and Armagh MLA Dominic Bradley has also condemned the attack:
"Police were acting in support of Customs and Excise checking illegal activity at the Low Road near Meigh when a van was driven directly at them. Two men were arrested at the scene but a number escaped and An Garda Siochana recovered a van shortly afterwards about a mile away in Dromad", he said.
"Gangsters who seek to control our community for greed and who pursue their ill-gotten profits by knocking down our police officers deserve the full weight of the law" he added.
Chairman of the Assembly Justice Committee Lord Morrow described the incident as"appallingly brutal, carried out purely to evade justice".
Ulster Unionist MLA for the area, Danny Kennedy also condemned an incident:
"Obviously such an incident is worrying and I will be speaking to Senior PSNI officers in Armagh in relation to it. I will be seeking clarity as to nature of incident - whether it was criminal or terrorist activity," Mr Kennedy said.
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