The UVF is on ceasefire not only in Belfast but in all other parts of the province.

Billy Hutchinson PUP

The party has political links with the group.

Speaking on Monday, he said the police were "quick to blame loyalists without providing the evidence to prove their involvement".

Mr Hutchinson said they were people in the security services who wanted to "destroy" the UVF and the PUP.

"The UVF is on ceasefire not only in Belfast but in all other parts of the province."

During the alerts, there was severe disruption to traffic as the security forces carried out a number of controlled explosions on a number of objects in various locations.

A pipe bomb was discovered close to Kilrea police station. It was made safe by army bomb experts on Friday.

A second suspicious object was declared an elaborate hoax at about 2230 GMT after it was discovered at the junction of Drumcroon and Moneycarry Roads in Garvagh.

PSNI's Sam Kinkaid: Believes UVF is behind the attacks

A device was discovered and made safe after two controlled explosions were carried out on it at the Ranahan junction near Maghera.

In Magherafelt, the army dealt with nine pipe bomb type devices - only one of which was declared a hoax.

The Glenshane Pass was closed for nearly three hours on Friday morning.

On Saturday, Sam Kinkaid of the PSNI said: "These incidents were organised by members of the UVF attached to south Derry."

"We think the motivation may have something to do with other police operations that were being run.

"It is fair comment to say that people attached to this would not necessarily agree with the sort of political assessment that comes from other senior members of that organisation, perhaps in Belfast."

BBC Northern Ireland chief security corespondent Brian Rowan said: "I would be amazed if senior officers of that rank were to give such a public assessment if they didn't have something to back it up."

He said a senior officer had told him there was "hard intelligence linking the UVF to these incidents and recent sectarian threats".

On Friday, the police said a warning had come from a group calling itself the South Londonderry Protestant Volunteer Force.

However, the police said they believed that was a cover name for the UVF.