THE finger of blame is being firmly pointed at Loyalist paramilitaries for the elaborate bomb hoax which caused a GAA dinner to be abandoned at the Manor House Hotel on Friday night.

Two telephone warnings were taken very seriously when four devices, made up to look like blast bombs, were found in and around the hotel.

By the time bomb disposal experts had carried out controlled explosions and cleared the area in the early hours of the morning, the 350 guests at Enniskillen Gaels 75th anniversary dinner were long gone.

There has been speculation about the source of the elaborate hoax, as the event was attended by UUP MLA and Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, Michael McGimpsey (pictured with Enniskillen Gaels secretary, Greg Kelly). It was the first function attended by Mr. McGimpsey since the GAA abolished Rule 21, which had banned members of the security forces from playing Gaelic Games. However, it now seems almost certain that the threat came from a Loyalist source. This comes amid rising concern about people with Loyalist links buying property in parts of Fermanagh.

A police spokesman admitted that the theory that Loyalists were to blame could not be ruled out: “This was a well-organised hoax. The items planted looked very realistic and have been sent away for detailed examination. We cannot comment further at this stage.”