Republican paramilitaries have got hold of the information that leaked in a Police Service of Northern Ireland data breach, according to the force's chief constable.
Simon Byrne said yesterday he believed dissident republicans had the dataset that last week mistakenly disclosed personal details of more than 10,000 officers and staff.
"It's therefore our planning assumption that they will use this list to generate fear and uncertainty as well as intimidating or targeting officers and staff," Byrne told a press conference at the PSNI's Belfast headquarters.
The admission deepened anxiety that paramilitaries will use the data to threaten and attack officers and to deter police recruitment, especially among Catholics.
Liam Kelly, the chair of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, which represents officers, said the statement was deeply worrying but not a surprise. He urged members to "exercise maximum vigilance" on and off duty.
"We must do all we can to frustrate and prevent attacks on our colleagues and their families. Our men and women are resilient and resourceful. They must call on all their training and professionalism to counter this ugly consequence of a monumental data breach," said Kelly.
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