State Papers: UK feared Northern Bank robbery's 'top man' would be 'clever enough to avoid getting arrested'

The exchange about the impact of the high-profile Northern Bank robbery was made during a meeting of British and Irish officials at Downing Street on January 5, 2005.

British officials feared the ‘top man’ behind the Northern Bank robbery in 2004 would be “clever enough to avoid getting arrested”.

They also agreed that the heist would not derail peace process efforts, which included the details of decommissioning, but added that “the republican movement had knocked up the price”.