Belfast, Northern Ireland ? Police made their first arrests in last year’s $47 million bank robbery, one of Europe’s largest ever, officials said Wednesday. The theft as been blamed on the Irish Republican Army and tarnished its image, despite repeated denials.

The arrest of a 30-year-old man Wednesday in Belfast came a day after two others were taken into custody in the city of Kilcoo, police said.

The IRA-linked Sinn Fein political party protested the arrests, claiming they were politically motivated. Member Willie Clarke argued that the men were targeted because they’ve supported the IRA’s cause.

The alleged involvement of the IRA in the December robbery was a setback for Sinn Fein, which represents most of the Catholics in the province, in negotiations over a power sharing agreement.

Since the robbery, the IRA has declared that it has disarmed and scrapped its hidden weapons stockpiles – moves that have raised hopes of reviving a joint Catholic-Protestant administration.

A senior police official denied political motivation, saying that officers had acted on tip-offs.

Police declined to identify the men arrested Tuesday. But local media said they were Dominic McEvoy, 23, and Peter Morgan, 24.