An ex-prisoner loyal to British direct rule in Northern Ireland stormed a meeting of the province's politicians on Friday claiming to have a bomb.

Michael Stone, a former Ulster Freedom Fighter prisoner who once opened fire on mourners at a funeral of the paramilitary Irish Republican Army (IRA) in 1988 killing three people, threw a package inside the Northern Ireland parliament building Stormont. Politicians were at the time meeting to discuss the deadline of resuming the power-sharing assembly, Sky news reported.

Stone was seen holding a firearm before being overwhelmed by security staff. The meeting was suspended indefinitely as a result of Stone's actions, which forced the evacuation of the politicians.

Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was quoted as saying, "It seems that Michael Stone has gone on the rampage again, in a very dangerous way. But he was stopped."

"It just shows you exactly what we are trying to get away from in Northern Ireland," he added.

Tony Blair, who has been collaborating with Ahern over the peace process in the province, insisted that the agreement was still "the only way forward."

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain has ordered chief constable Hugh Orde to investigate the breach of security.

Representatives of the Northern Ireland parties were discussing the St Andrews agreement, which is designed to restore power sharing to the province. The gathering is being described as a make or break event.

Being the largest unionist and nationalist parties in the assembly, the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA, had gathered to nominate the first and deputy first minister.

If all goes according to plan, assembly elections will be held in March and devolution restored later that month.

Source: Xinhua