Two gang suspects had Provo connections

WITHIN hours of a third man being arrested for the botched kidnapping in Cork, a new — and potentially sensational — dimension began to filter through to the media.

Two of the three men arrested had Provisional IRA connections, it emerged. But the prospect that this might be another Northern Bank situation quickly dissipated when the identities of the suspects emerged.

There were indeed Provisional connections, but the indications were that they were in the past the most reliable information from security sources last night suggested that the Provos had severed connections with the main suspects several years ago.

The likelihood was this was a purely criminal enterprise, said the sources, although possible dissident republican associations were not being wholly ruled out.

One of the alleged gang members was a senior IRA figure for many years but fell out with the Provo leadership in recent years because of suspected criminal activities.

On the fact of it, this Dundalk man had an impeccable IRA CV. His involvement in the IRA would have coincided with many of those who have moved to the forefront of the political side of the movement in recent years.

From a strong republican family, he was suspected of being in an IRA gang that killed a British army captain in 1980. Arrested for involvement in the murder, he was one of eight prisoners who made a spectacular breakout from prison in 1981, while on remand. He fled to the South and is believed to have spent most of his time in Co Kerry while on the run.

Within a year, he was arrested by gardaí. He was tried under extra-jurisdictional legislation by the Special Criminal Court and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, which he served in Portlaoise Prison.

Upon his release, this man returned to Dundalk, where he was nominally unemployed. In 2001, he was one of a number of IRA men who were granted what amounted to a pardon or amnesty from the British Government, under arcane "royal prerogative" provisions. It allowed him return to the North without fear of prosecution.

However, gardaí continued to harbour suspicions that this republican was involved in criminal activities, including racketeering, smuggling and robberies. However, at some stage in the past five or six years it was unclear whether this was been done on behalf of the republican movement or for purely criminal motives.

He was arrested in 1999 in connection with the robbery of £1 million worth of cigarettes from a train in Dunleer but the case was not brought to prosecution.

In recent years, he has been targeted by the Criminal Assets Bureau. He had a six-figure tax judgment lodged against him in the High Court last year.

A Sinn Féin representative in the South said it would be premature to make any comment in light of the circumstances where no charges have yet been laid.

However, politically, it is highly unlikely that this incident will have any Northern Bank-style ramifications for the republican movement.