CHECKPOINTS on the Irish border could be become targets for the IRA, according to a number of British MPs.
Fears are growing that if security checkpoints and customs bases are set up in Northern Ireland, they might become targets and a 'recruiting badge' for dissident republican groups.
It comes following a recent MI5 investigation into terrorism threats linked to "installations or infrastructure at the border" between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Their report - which was published on Monday - warned that the New IRA could become a more dangerous threat in the future, particularly amid rumours that the group are recruiting "significant numbers of young people".
According to the Daily Mail, the report stated: "Any infrastructure erected at the Irish border to handle customs or security checks would immediately become a target for DR [dissident republican] attacks."
It said infrastructure "will be both a target and a recruiting badge for dissident republican groups".
It also warned the changes may "reignite the threat from loyalist groups that have previously held a ceasefire".
A study conducted back in February suggested that violence would be "inevitable" in the event of a hard border.
"The threat from Northern Ireland-related terrorism requires sustained pressure and resources must be maintained - this is more important now than ever," the M15 report added.
