Two men have been arrested while making their way to a wake for hooded man Kevin Hannaway.
It is understood the pair, both members of anti-agreement party Saoradh, were detained in Andersonstown area as they made their way to Mr Hannaway’s wake at his former home in the Colinmill area of Dunmurry on Friday afternoon.
It is believed the men, including a former republican prisoner, were detained under the Terrorism Act.
It was claimed that the PSNI has carried out a series of stop and search operations over recent days targeting people attending the wake.
A native of west Belfast, Mr Hannaway died in the early hours of Monday after a short illness and is due to be buried on Saturday.
The 77-year-old was one of 14 Catholic men who were subjected to state-sanctioned torture when they were interned in 1971.
Some of the men were thrown from helicopters and told they were at high altitude despite being just feet from the ground.
The techniques used against the 14 men included being hooded, made to stand in stress positions, forced to listen to loud static noise and being deprived of sleep, food and water.
In 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that the methods used “would be characterised today” as torture.
None of the Hooded Men were convicted of any wrongdoing.
In June 2023 the PSNI apologised to the men over the treatment they received more than 50 years ago.
In 2018 Mr Hannaway was jailed for three years in 2018 by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin.
He was convicted of knowingly rendering assistance to the ‘IRA’, and assisting in interviewing people involved in ‘IRA’-organized activities in 2015.
In a statement after his death and wider republican movement” offered “deepest sympathies” to the family of Mr Hannaway, who they described as a “former POW (Prisoner of War) and IRA volunteer”.
Republicans say a number of people have been stopped and searched while making their way to Mr Hannawy’s wake over recent days.
Saoradh last night said six of its members who had travelled from Derry to attend Mr Hannaway’s home were involved in what has been described as a ‘hard stop’ near the wakehouse on Thursday.
Pictures seen by the Irish News show several masked men wearing jackets branded ‘police’.
However, none of the men appear to have shoulder numbers on display and are wearing grey coloured combat trousers as opposed to regular PSNI issue clothing.
It is understood the absence of identifying numbers will the subject of a legal challenge.
Saoradh National Chairperson Stephen Murney said the operations are “a clear violation of the principles of human decency and respect for private grief”.
“It must be unequivocally condemned,” it added.
“Kevin Hannaway hasn’t even been buried and his family and comrades have had to endure a week of torment.
The PSNI was contacted.