Colombia trio face trial within a month

Colombian prosecutors have accused the three suspected IRA members that are being held in custody of training rebels and using false documents.

The prosecutions have been made following a lengthy criminal investigation and the findings of that report against Niall Connolly, James Monaghan and Martin McCauley have been sent to a federal court judge.

A trial could now begin in less then a month.

The three men spent five weeks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and they are accused of providing training, explosives and tactics to the group during that period.

The three have been linked to the IRA in the past and Monaghan previously sat on the Sinn Fein executive committee while Connolly was once a Sinn Fein representative to Cuba.

The three accused claim that they were staying in the rebel stronghold to study the peace negotiations that were being held between FARC and the Colombian Government and that they have been wrongfully accused.