REAL IRA DECLARES PLANS TO DISBAND
Real IRA declares plans to disband
'The current Army leadership has forfeited all moral authority'
By CHRIS PARKIN
THE Real IRA terrorist group responsible for the 1998 Omagh bomb outrage, this weekend announced that it is to disband. The organisation announced the move in a statement published in the Sunday Independent newspaper in Dublin.
The statement, issued by men inside the Irish Republic's high-security Portlaoise jail, said the Real IRA was at an end and only a few "corrupt" members of the Real IRA were "fraternising with criminal elements".
It also confirmed the Real IRA involvement in the Omagh bombing, when 29 people were killed and another 200 injured.
The Real IRA also referred in a separate briefing document to the deaths in the Omagh explosion, saying they had irreparably "damaged" the Irish Republican struggle.
It said the attack had been launched with the Continuity IRA fellow terrorist faction.
The statement was drafted last Thursday - before Prime Minister Tony Blair's appeal to the mainstream IRA wing to stand down.
It read in full: "On Friday, September 27, in a written communication to the Army leadership, the (Real) IRA unit in Portlaoise prison took the unprecedented step of calling the Army Council to stand down with ignominy.
"We will not demean our struggle or provide succour to our enemies by revealing the comprehensive catalogue of evidence which has exposed this leadership.
"However, we do feel duty-bound to state that this Army leadership's financial motivations far outweigh their political commitment to our struggle at this time. IRA prisoners find this morally and politically unacceptable. We believe that the current Army leadership has forfeited all moral authority to lead the (Real) IRA.
"To date, the leadership has failed to respond to our demand. Thus we feel we are left with no option but to withdraw our allegiance from this Army leadership. We would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to Republican principles and reiterate our steadfast opposition to the Belfast Agreement and British rule in Ireland.
"Furthermore, in order to dispel recent, mischievous leaks to the media, we would like to state that no IRA prisoners' representative has entered negotiations with any government regarding the early release of political prisoners."
The statement was understood to have been authorised by all of the senior Real IRA figures currently in Portlaoise.
The alleged leader of the organisation, Michael McKevitt, from Dundalk, Co Louth, is due to be tried in Dublin's anti-terrorist Special Criminal Court early next year.
Earlier this month, McKevitt was involved in a hearing at the special court relating to documents concerning the case against him.
Michael Gallagher, whose son died in the Omagh bombing, said it was "great news" but he wanted to know at what price the disbandment had been achieved: "We are aware that the Irish government have been in talks with the Real IRA for some considerable time," he said.
"The Irish government must come clean about how this was brought about and what concessions and incentives were given. Is this going to affect the search for the Omagh bombers?"
Mr Gallagher said the families of the 29 people killed in the bombing, including a woman pregnant with twins, also needed to know "what input there has been from the British Government to achieve this".
Mr Gallagher said the civil court action planned by some of the Omagh families against those they believe to be responsible would go ahead.
In the absence of any criminal charges for murder, the families have taken action against five people they believe to have been responsible for the worst single terrorist atrocity of Northern Ireland's 30 years of terrorism and the Real IRA as an organisation.
"We are waiting for a court date, what has been announced... will not change our determination to press ahead."
The Government was making no immediate comment about the announcement.
A spokeswoman said they had heard the reports about disbandment but added: "It is a bit early to comment."
Device made safe at police station
A BOMB packed with shrapnel was made safe by the army yesterday inside the grounds of a police station in Co Tyrone.
The coffee jar device packed around with nails was found in the compound of the PSNI station in Castlederg.
A police spokesman said it was believed to have been thrown over the perimeter wall with the intention of it detonating on impact causing death or serious injury.
The attack was believed to have been mounted by dissident republicans - but whether it was the Continuity IRA or Real IRA was not known. If it was members of the Real IRA, it would indicate that the statement from members of the terror group in Ireland's Portlaoise Prison - saying the organisation was disbanding -did not speak for all members.
'The current Army leadership has forfeited all moral authority'
By CHRIS PARKIN
THE Real IRA terrorist group responsible for the 1998 Omagh bomb outrage, this weekend announced that it is to disband. The organisation announced the move in a statement published in the Sunday Independent newspaper in Dublin.
The statement, issued by men inside the Irish Republic's high-security Portlaoise jail, said the Real IRA was at an end and only a few "corrupt" members of the Real IRA were "fraternising with criminal elements".
It also confirmed the Real IRA involvement in the Omagh bombing, when 29 people were killed and another 200 injured.
The Real IRA also referred in a separate briefing document to the deaths in the Omagh explosion, saying they had irreparably "damaged" the Irish Republican struggle.
It said the attack had been launched with the Continuity IRA fellow terrorist faction.
The statement was drafted last Thursday - before Prime Minister Tony Blair's appeal to the mainstream IRA wing to stand down.
It read in full: "On Friday, September 27, in a written communication to the Army leadership, the (Real) IRA unit in Portlaoise prison took the unprecedented step of calling the Army Council to stand down with ignominy.
"We will not demean our struggle or provide succour to our enemies by revealing the comprehensive catalogue of evidence which has exposed this leadership.
"However, we do feel duty-bound to state that this Army leadership's financial motivations far outweigh their political commitment to our struggle at this time. IRA prisoners find this morally and politically unacceptable. We believe that the current Army leadership has forfeited all moral authority to lead the (Real) IRA.
"To date, the leadership has failed to respond to our demand. Thus we feel we are left with no option but to withdraw our allegiance from this Army leadership. We would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to Republican principles and reiterate our steadfast opposition to the Belfast Agreement and British rule in Ireland.
"Furthermore, in order to dispel recent, mischievous leaks to the media, we would like to state that no IRA prisoners' representative has entered negotiations with any government regarding the early release of political prisoners."
The statement was understood to have been authorised by all of the senior Real IRA figures currently in Portlaoise.
The alleged leader of the organisation, Michael McKevitt, from Dundalk, Co Louth, is due to be tried in Dublin's anti-terrorist Special Criminal Court early next year.
Earlier this month, McKevitt was involved in a hearing at the special court relating to documents concerning the case against him.
Michael Gallagher, whose son died in the Omagh bombing, said it was "great news" but he wanted to know at what price the disbandment had been achieved: "We are aware that the Irish government have been in talks with the Real IRA for some considerable time," he said.
"The Irish government must come clean about how this was brought about and what concessions and incentives were given. Is this going to affect the search for the Omagh bombers?"
Mr Gallagher said the families of the 29 people killed in the bombing, including a woman pregnant with twins, also needed to know "what input there has been from the British Government to achieve this".
Mr Gallagher said the civil court action planned by some of the Omagh families against those they believe to be responsible would go ahead.
In the absence of any criminal charges for murder, the families have taken action against five people they believe to have been responsible for the worst single terrorist atrocity of Northern Ireland's 30 years of terrorism and the Real IRA as an organisation.
"We are waiting for a court date, what has been announced... will not change our determination to press ahead."
The Government was making no immediate comment about the announcement.
A spokeswoman said they had heard the reports about disbandment but added: "It is a bit early to comment."
Device made safe at police station
A BOMB packed with shrapnel was made safe by the army yesterday inside the grounds of a police station in Co Tyrone.
The coffee jar device packed around with nails was found in the compound of the PSNI station in Castlederg.
A police spokesman said it was believed to have been thrown over the perimeter wall with the intention of it detonating on impact causing death or serious injury.
The attack was believed to have been mounted by dissident republicans - but whether it was the Continuity IRA or Real IRA was not known. If it was members of the Real IRA, it would indicate that the statement from members of the terror group in Ireland's Portlaoise Prison - saying the organisation was disbanding -did not speak for all members.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/451
Published Date: 21-Oct-02
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.