GUNMEN 'PLANNED AMBUSH' Checkpoint trap for PSNI.

Byline: MAURICE FITZMAURICE

ARMED men stopping traffic at an illegal roadblock may have been trying to lure the PSNI into an ambush, it was claimed yesterday.

The news came as it also emerged one of the gang was carrying a RPG launcher.

Sources said a number of officers are "not happy" about not having been allowed to confront the gang in the village of Meigh on Friday evening.

One added: "Some of the fellas are saying what's the point in going into areas like South Armagh if they aren't going to police them properly.

"They are being briefed that there may have been more men and heavy firepower there if they got too close.

"So it's a possibility the whole thing was set up as an ambush.

"But a lot of people are worried, they are saying the border has been redrawn and the police won't go into South Armagh or parts of Fermanagh."

The development came as pressure mounts on the police to explain why the gang was not confronted by officers.

William Irwin, a Democratic Unionist MLA in the area, said he is pushing for the matter to be raised at the Policing Board. The call came after the masked men stopped cars and handed drivers leaflets telling them not to cooperate with the PSNI or Garda.

Mr Irwin, pictured below, added he is to meet with the PSNI's Regional Commander today to discuss the matter.

He said: "It's a very worrying development. There are a lot of different stories going about so I want to speak to the man in charge to ascertain what happened.

"Certainly one thing that needs to be clarified is the police response to an illegal roadblock set up in Northern Ireland by armed men, presumably from a dissident republican group.

"As well as meeting with the police commander, this needs to be raised at the Policing Board."

Sources said a police patrol approached the scene but were ordered back to base. One added: "Some of the cops were raging. They were busting to get at them, but the order came to get back to base.

"If the powers that be didn't want a bloodbath then fair enough.

"But was the helicopter sent up or was there any effort to see where these boys went after the roadblock?

"It'll be interesting to see if there's any arrests in the coming days, but most people don't expect there will be."