Long-range rifle in Ulster haul

An armour-piercing sniper's rifle similar to weapons used by the IRA to kill several members of the security forces in single-shot attacks along the Ulster border was seized by the security forces.

The Tejas .50 calibre rifle, which can fire a bullet up to three miles, is the first of its kind found in the province. The unoccupied flat in west Belfast also contained an AK47 assault rifle, ammunition, semtex, detonators and other bomb-making equipment.