A 12 YEAR-OLD grammar school pupil has been issued a death threat - along with four senior republicans - in the wake of the murder of former IRA commander Gerard 'Jock' Davison.
The mother of the schoolboy from north Belfast was warned by the PSNI on Tuesday that her son was under threat from "criminal elements".
The child - a talented footballer who has had trials with Irish league clubs - is the son of a prominent republican.
The unprecedented threat comes in the same week that several of high profile republicans, including senior Ardoyne republican Eddie Copeland and Shankill bomber Sean Kelly, were issued similar warnings.
Both men were present at the funeral last Saturday of the senior IRA figure who is believed to have been gunned down in a revenge attack by a criminals connected to the drugs trade.
Police revisited the schoolboy's north Belfast home yesterday to supply precautionary security measures.
A solicitor acting for the Year 9 grammar school pupil will go into he High Court today in an attempt to gain additional information from the Chief Constable in relation to the nature of the threat.
He is thought to be the youngest person in Northern Ireland to have received an official death threat.
Speaking last night his distraught mother said she still could not take in the news.
"At first I thought there was a mistake and that the threat was for his father who has the same name," she said.
"But when I asked police if they sure, they read out my son's date of birth,. I'm trying to play it down and keep things at home as normal as possible because I don't want to frighten the children any more than necessary but it's putting us all under terrible stress.
"He is only a child, I can't think of a single reason why anyone would send him a threat, it's very worrying", she added.
Republicans across Belfast are believed to be increasingly concerned following the murder of 47-year-old Davison with fears that criminals could be planning to exact revenge on former IRA members.
The one time IRA commander had been involved in the cover group Direct Action Against Drugs in the 1990s during a time when the organisation killed a number of high profile criminals.
Three people have so far been arrested and released without charge in connection with the murder.
