Northern Ireland republican dissidents lurk in the shadows hoping to be noticed

Their numbers are small, their terrorist skillset meagre, and public revulsion only reinforces their self-mythology

The ambush on a senior Northern Ireland police officer on Wednesday night was almost certainly the work of a tiny group of so-called republican dissidents who have long tried – and consistently failed – to escalate a violent campaign.

The New IRA has launched sporadic attacks on security forces over the past decade to show that there is still a flickering flame in the tradition of physical force republicanism.