Al-Qaida in Ireland ‘no small problem’

Cormac O’Keeffe

Speaking in Dublin, Gijs De Vries said al-Qaida activists and supporters moved between all EU countries and engaged in fundraising in all member states, including Ireland.

“The threat is directed at those that al-Qaida, and al-Qaida-inspired groups target for reasons of their own and I don’t think size so far is an element in their considerations nor, incidentally, is there a direct relationship with participating in the war in Iraq.”

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday said Ireland was not under “serious threat” of attack, but admitted security services were closely monitoring certain people.

The task is assigned to the Garda Special Branch, which has had a dedicated Middle Eastern Section since around 1998.

Some estimates say there are as many as 60 Islamic fundamentalist activists in the country, but many sources believe the figure to be lower.

“I wouldn’t say it is a small problem. We have been concerned about it for a while now and we’ll have to review the matter after the situation in England,” said one security source.

He said the vast majority of Muslims in Ireland were law-abiding people, but that, no different than any other group, there was a very small minority with radical views.

“This group, they meet regularly, go to prayer together and mix well with their own community.”

He said they are involved in fundraising, forging Irish passports and other documents and providing places to stay for foreign associates. They are involved in credit card fraud as well as cheque and welfare fraud as part of their fundraising.

Two Irish-based suspects, with alleged links to al-Qaida, had their funds, amounting to 250,000, frozen in 2002 by the Central Bank on the authority of the UN.

Gardaí had their first serious experience with al-Qaida suspects in December 1999, when they arrested an Algerian national as part of an investigation into the attempted bombing of Los Angeles airport. In October 2001, gardaí arrested a further four people linked to the same person.

Last year it emerged that Iraq-based terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had an agent in Ireland in 2002.