Colombia Three trial ‘politically motivated’

A brother of one of the three Irishmen on trial in Colombia for allegedly training anti-Government rebels has described the charges against the men as 'political'.

Dan Connolly, whose brother Niall is due to go on trial today, said: "I think the men have become pawns in the middle of a much greater process that’s going on generally in the world since the September 11 thing.

"The Colombian authorities have their own motive for it, but I think there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind - in Colombia or here - that this is a political trial. If it was just a legal case, the men would have been released a long time ago."