No end to paramilitary activity, report finds

THE Government said the latest report from the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) presented a “disturbing picture” of ongoing criminality by both republican and loyalist groups.

The fifth IMC report, published yesterday, concluded that the level of paramilitary activity was still high but noted a downward trend over the past year.

The IMC findings on the IRA concluded that it was still engaged in criminality and continued to recruit and train new members.

In addition to ascribing responsibility to it for the Northern Bank robbery and the murder of Robert McCartney, the four-member commission said it had been involved in three shootings and six assaults, as well as an arson attack.

A police find in September of 10,000 rounds of ammunition demonstrated, said the IMC, the IRA’s “continuing efforts to maintain its preparedness”.

“We have no present evidence that it intends to resume a campaign of violence despite the collapse of political talks in December 2004, but its capacity remains, should that become the intention,” it said.

The report also finds that other republican groups and loyalist paramilitaries continue to be involved in paramilitary, violent and criminal activities. The two other murders classified as paramilitary between last September and February are attributed to the UDA.

“Loyalists continue to commit more violence than republicans: over four times as many shooting victims and 25% more victims of assault. But the one figure which does not show the continuing downward trend is that for republican assaults,” says the report.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Dáil yesterday that was no evidence of paramilitary groups ceasing, adding there was a downward trend in criminal activity.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the findings cast doubt on how genuine Mr Adams’ call on the IRA was to abandon violence.

Labour deputy leader Liz McManus said it highlighted the duplicity of republicans.

Sinn Féin’s Alex Maskey said the report had “little or no credibility and is neither impartial, fair nor balanced”.

John Minihan of the PDs said it showed republicans had done nothing but talk on the issue of criminality since before Christmas.

IRA litany of violence

THE IMC said intelligence it received had led it to believe:

* Provisional IRA members were involved in the murder of Robert McCartney. But it was not sanctioned by the leadership in advance and it appeared the killers were acting on the instructions of a local commander.

* The organisation was involved in robberies, such as December’s £26.5 million Northern Bank heist which used violence or the threat of violence.

* The organisation carried out five shootings and six assaults since August 2004.

The IMC is made up of former US Central Intelligence Agency deputy director Richard Kerr; ex-Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist unit chief John Grieve; retired Irish civil servant Joe Brosnan and the former leader of the North’s cross-community Alliance Party, Lord Alderdice.