MEMBERS of the Mount Vernon UVF were planning to kill a number of top level republicans in the weeks before the organisation called a ceasefire.
The details have been revealed in court papers linked to loyalist Gary Haggarty who has turned 'state's evidence' and give details of past crimes, naming his former associates.
The 42-year-old, who is in witness protection, is facing a record 212 charges including murder, conspiracy to murder and directing terrorism.
About 10,000 pages of evidence have been compiled in a case against the so-called loyalist supergrass, a court has heard.
Among the conspiracy charges were details of plans to murder five senior north Belfast republicans in the summer of 1994, at the same time the Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) were in the final stages of negotiating the terms of a truce.
Among those named is leading Ardoyne republican Eddie Copeland and his close associate Paul De Lucia, who is incorrectly named in the court papers as 'John' De Lucia.
Haggarty is expected to plead guilty to conspiring to murder the two men on dates between March and July 1994.
The extensive charge sheet includes five murders, 31 conspiracy to murder and six attempted murders.
New Lodge brothers Michael and John Donnelly, who have survived previous loyalist murders bids, were being targeted even after the CLMC ceasefire statement of October 13 1994.
Haggarty gave details of a plot to murder the brothers on dates between May 1994 and January 1995.
One of the founding members of the Provisional IRA, Leo Martin, is also among those named.
Martin, who served a number of
prison sentences for IRA activity, died in February 2011.
Haggarty gave details of a plot to murder the veteran IRA man on dates between May 1994 and December 1995.
As well as the senior republicans Haggarty revealed the UVF were planning to murder community worker Liam Maskey, a brother of Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey - on dates between April and September 1994.
Mr Maskey has since played an active role in conflict transformation working with former loyalists.
Speaking yesterday Eddie Copeland said neither the PSNI or PPS had informed him he was to be named on the charge sheets.
"About three months ago I was asked by the ombudsman's office if I'd been involved in targeting Haggarty on three occasions in 1994," he said.
"I'd never even heard of the man back then. The information they had was totally false, they named places I'd never even been in.
"I'd no idea Haggarty was to be charged with trying to kill me. Noone has ever informed me it was to be among his charges.
"I now think that Haggarty's handlers were feeding him false information in order to stoke things up and have me killed before the loyalist ceasefire."