Early release IRA man held over vodka heist

THE arrest of a former IRA prisoner freed early under the Good Friday Agreement in connection with an audacious €300,000 vodka truck hijacking yesterday dealt a further blow to the peace process yesterday.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell expressed deep Government unease at the apparent involvement of known republicans in the crime and its possible political implications.

“I’m concerned about the potential fallout from events like this. At this stage, I want to say it is deeply disappointing that somebody who availed of the Good Friday Agreement to be released from prison on an explosives charge is found apparently in these circumstances. That’s something I can’t ignore,” he said.