The expulsions followed the theft of Blowpipe man-portable surface-to-air missile components from the TA base in Newtownards by the loyalist paramilitary group Ulster Resistance. A colleague stationed at the Newtownards base, Sergeant Samuel Quinn, had been arrested at the Hilton Hotel, Paris in April 1989 attempting to exchange missile technology for guns from Apartheid South Africa. Two other members of Ulster Resistance, Noel Little and James King, were also arrested.
The expulsions took place after the theft of Blowpipe components from a TA base in Newtownards by Ulster Resistance. A colleague, Sergeant Samuel Quinn, was arrested at a Paris hotel in April 1989 while trying to trade missile technology for guns with South African officials. Two other members of Ulster Resistance were also detained.