LEADERS OF DISSIDENT REPUBLICAN GROUP the Real IRA have warned that targets in England remain a high priority for the group.

In an interview with the Guardian, the republicans said they have now branded bankers on both sides of the border as criminals. They said bankers are the “next-door neighbours of the politicians”.

Most people can see the picture: the bankers grease the politicians’ palms, the politicians bail out the bankers with public funds, the bankers pay themselves fat bonuses and loan the money back to the public with interest.

It’s essentially a crime spree that benefits a social elite at the expense of many millions of victims.

Despite the Guardian’s security sources saying the dissidents do not have the resources to carry out a large-scale bomb campaign, the Real IRA said the group has “regrouped and reorganised” and plans to increase the intensity of its campaign.

The group dismissed criticism of its recent spate of punishment attacks in Northern Ireland, saying their actions would help garner support among communities which feel alienated from the police.

The Real IRA also rejected reports the group was holding talks with the British and Irish governments, saying: “There are no talks with either the British government or the Free State Administration.”