Senior members of Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland have been warned of threats against their lives after attending a PSNI recruitment event.
Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Policing Board member Gerry Kelly became the party's first representatives to attend such an event last week.
Sinn Féin has been informed by the PSNI that dissident republicans are now planning attacks against them.
Ms O'Neill, the deputy leader of the party, has condemned the threats and said she will not be intimated.
In a statement, she said she was informed by the police that dissident republicans are planning attacks against her and Mr Kelly.
She said the threats come as the "debate on Irish unity is centre stage" following Sinn Féin's success in the recent General Election.
Ms O'Neill said: “These people have no politics, no strategy and nothing to offer. They are at war with their community and are now threatening political representatives who serve the people.
Referencing her attendance at the PSNI recruitment event, she added: “I will not be deterred from carrying out my work as a representative of the people and as Joint Head of Government.
“Sinn Féin will not be deterred. We will continue to pursue our objective of a united Ireland while building a civic, accountable representative policing service, which polices with the community.
“These armed groups have nothing to offer. It’s time they packed up and disbanded.”
DUP Leader Arlene Foster has also condemned those behind the threats.
She said: “We live in a democracy. The ballot box is how we effect change, not through the bomb or bullet. Whether in 1970, 1980, 1990 or 2020, violence from every hue must be condemned. There is no place for threats or violence.”
