Alleged IRA men proclaim innocence on Colombian TV

The three alleged IRA members being detained in Colombia, today protested their innocence.

In an interview from their prison cell in Bogota broadcasted on Colombian television, Niall Connolly, James Monaghan and Martin McAuley claimed they were not being given enough legal access.

Connolly, speaking in fluent Spanish, claimed they had visited the South American country to exchange views about the peace process in Northern Ireland and in Colombia.

‘‘We know foreign intelligence services have tried to misinterpret our visit to hurt the peace process in Ireland,’’ he added.

Monaghan, believed to be the IRA’s most senior explosives expert, said the conditions they were living in were making it difficult to mount a legal defence.

‘‘We have no fresh air, we have headaches, we feel under pressure due to the stress and we feel we are not getting a fair chance,’’ he said.

The three were arrested by the Colombian authorities last month on suspicion of helping to train FARC guerrillas in an area controlled by the terror group.

The arrest of the three was a major embarrassment to Sinn Fein but party president Gerry Adams today vowed to continue with a planned trip to Cuba despite the furore.

Mr Adams has come under fierce pressure to cancel the planned visit after the trio were arrested in Colombia and charged with training left-wing guerrillas in the use of explosives.

But the Sinn Fein chief today insisted: ‘‘I have a long-standing commitment to go to Cuba and I intend to go there.’’