THE three Irishman were arrested in August 2001 as they prepared to board a plane back to Ireland after spending some time in the rebel FARC-controlled area of Colombia.

THE trial of three Irishman accused of assisting South American left-wing guerrillas to develop deadly mortar bombs resumes today after months of delay.

Paul Hill, one of the Guildford Four, has been denied a visa to travel to Colombia to observe the trial of three Irishmen accused of training anti-government rebels.

THREE Irishmen detained in Colombia have been without visits from their legal team for over a week after they were secretly moved to a high-risk prison where their lawyers say they would be in fear for their own safety.

Colombia rebels have technology they could only have obtained from abroad, it was claimed last night as three suspected IRA members went on trial accused of training the Marxist guerillas in terrorist tactics.

The trial opened today of two IRA men and a senior Sinn Fein official who are accused of training Colombian Marxist rebels in terror tactics.

Irish politicians and lawyers have arrived in Colombia to observe next week’s trial of three suspected IRA members charged with training left wing rebels.

Relatives of three Irishmen held in Colombia on suspicion of aiding FARC Marxist guerillas tonight urged the Government to send a legal observer to the men’s trial next month.

Campaigners for the three Irishmen accused of training anti-government rebels in Colombia have asked the Irish Government to prevent the three from being separated until their trial ends.

A lone judge will tomorrow decide the fate of two suspected IRA members and a veteran of the terror group who have been waiting for more than a year to find out whether they will become free men – or spend up to 20 years in a Colombian prison.

THE trial of the so-called Colombia Three, due to start this Friday, will be closely monitored by the main players in the North’s political process.

We, as families of three Irish citizens incarcerated in Colombia, wish to highlight the fact that they have now been held for 12 months without trial.

Hundreds of people have been massacred by Colombian rebels using techniques similar to those deployed by the IRA during the Troubles, it was claimed today.