The INLA has confirmed that it has decommissioned all of its weapons.

The republican paramilitary group got rid of its illegal arsenal in recent weeks, through the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning.

The INLA killed over 100 people during the Troubles, and the announcement comes just one day before the expiry of legislation which allows armed groups to dispose of their guns without fear of prosecution.

The group’s spokesman Martin McMonagle spoke to reporters in Belfast.

“We can now also confirm that the INLA has disarmed through a joint facilitation group consisting of a local, a national and an international organisation” he said.

“We make no apologies for our part in the conflict. We believe the conditions have now changed in such a way that our options are open to revolutionaries in order to pursue and ultimately achieve our objectives” he added.

The Justice Minister has welcomed the news.

Minister Dermot Ahern says it’s part of a series of developments as we look to finally close the last chapter of conflict in the North.