PROVISIONALS MAY ASSASSSINATE REAL IRA LEADER FOR ATROCITY
Provisional may assassinate Real IRA leader of atrocity
by Brian Carroll and Mary Dundon
THE fate of the Real IRA leader in Dundalk was in doubt, last night, as some well-informed special branch sources predicted the IRA would move to assassinate him for the Omagh bombing.
However, other sources said the IRA would be reluctant to make such a move, as it would turn the leader into a martyr and could push republicans teetering on the edge of the IRA ceasefire into the hands of the breakaway group.
Also, the IRA would be in breach of the agreement if they carried out such a killing and could risk Sinn Fein's continued presence in the assembly were they to take action against the renegade Provo leader. The Dundalk-based leader of the Real IRA, or Oglaigh na hEireann, as it is now styling itself, is in breach of the IRA's constitution, the Green Book. Misappropriation of IRA weapons is a capital offence, punishable by death. But the risks involved in assassinating him probably outweigh the benefits to be gained for the IRA, security sources said.
Also the presence, from yesterday, of members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit in the renegade Provo's home-town of Dundalk would make any attempted assassination of the Real IRA leader unlikely. "The leader of this group was one of the IRA's top men for up to 25 years. He was very close to the leadership of Sinn Fein and what he has done now is a direct action against them. But, they would alienate a lot of people in their own movement if they moved on this guy now, particularly people who are on the verge of crossing over to this group, people who are dissatisfied with the peace strategy," a leading Munster special branch figure said.
"If you look at the language of people in Sinn Fein saying they would never inform on another group or directly help the authorities, then that is not the type of approach that fits easily with assassinating one of your former top men," the source said.
However, the IRA while refusing to assist the authorities, would not consider internal discipline as informing or assisting security forces in any way. And a second senior garda source firmly believes the Provisional IRA may take out the dissident Real IRA chief.
"This is make or break time for the Provos. Now that they have become political in supporting the Good Friday Agreement, the pressure is on them to deliver - they will not let someone wreck everything," the second garda source said.
"The Provisional IRA leadership is not afraid of taking out one of their own and have done so in the past to anyone they regard as a traitor, and will do so again," he added. The breakaway Real IRA chief may use the Provisional IRA's arms stores if he has to in future attacks - even though he knows this is an offence punishable by death, the senior garda source said.
"He sees this as a war to win a 32-county united Ireland and will use whatever measures are necessary to win," the senior garda said, adding that at least five of the Provo's arms dumps are still in Munster.
The leader of the breakaway group is a former quartermaster general of the IRA. It is unclear whether he has had access to any of the IRA arms dumps previously under his control. The evidence from the bomb blasts to-date, the majority of which have used homemade explosives of some form, would indicate the group does not have Semtex in its possession and, therefore, has not raided dumps.
Also, garda intelligence suggests the group has attempted to import arms from Libya, the United States, and possibly from ETA in Spain. If the Real IRA had arms of their own, they would not be going to such great extents to import more, security sources said.
"If you look at the bigger picture, they don't appear to have touched the main arms dumps. So while the group is a threat to the mainstream IRA and is undermining Sinn Fein, they don't seem to have gone, at least to-date, into IRA arms reserves," security sources said.
Courtesy of Irish Examiner
by Brian Carroll and Mary Dundon
THE fate of the Real IRA leader in Dundalk was in doubt, last night, as some well-informed special branch sources predicted the IRA would move to assassinate him for the Omagh bombing.
However, other sources said the IRA would be reluctant to make such a move, as it would turn the leader into a martyr and could push republicans teetering on the edge of the IRA ceasefire into the hands of the breakaway group.
Also, the IRA would be in breach of the agreement if they carried out such a killing and could risk Sinn Fein's continued presence in the assembly were they to take action against the renegade Provo leader. The Dundalk-based leader of the Real IRA, or Oglaigh na hEireann, as it is now styling itself, is in breach of the IRA's constitution, the Green Book. Misappropriation of IRA weapons is a capital offence, punishable by death. But the risks involved in assassinating him probably outweigh the benefits to be gained for the IRA, security sources said.
Also the presence, from yesterday, of members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit in the renegade Provo's home-town of Dundalk would make any attempted assassination of the Real IRA leader unlikely. "The leader of this group was one of the IRA's top men for up to 25 years. He was very close to the leadership of Sinn Fein and what he has done now is a direct action against them. But, they would alienate a lot of people in their own movement if they moved on this guy now, particularly people who are on the verge of crossing over to this group, people who are dissatisfied with the peace strategy," a leading Munster special branch figure said.
"If you look at the language of people in Sinn Fein saying they would never inform on another group or directly help the authorities, then that is not the type of approach that fits easily with assassinating one of your former top men," the source said.
However, the IRA while refusing to assist the authorities, would not consider internal discipline as informing or assisting security forces in any way. And a second senior garda source firmly believes the Provisional IRA may take out the dissident Real IRA chief.
"This is make or break time for the Provos. Now that they have become political in supporting the Good Friday Agreement, the pressure is on them to deliver - they will not let someone wreck everything," the second garda source said.
"The Provisional IRA leadership is not afraid of taking out one of their own and have done so in the past to anyone they regard as a traitor, and will do so again," he added. The breakaway Real IRA chief may use the Provisional IRA's arms stores if he has to in future attacks - even though he knows this is an offence punishable by death, the senior garda source said.
"He sees this as a war to win a 32-county united Ireland and will use whatever measures are necessary to win," the senior garda said, adding that at least five of the Provo's arms dumps are still in Munster.
The leader of the breakaway group is a former quartermaster general of the IRA. It is unclear whether he has had access to any of the IRA arms dumps previously under his control. The evidence from the bomb blasts to-date, the majority of which have used homemade explosives of some form, would indicate the group does not have Semtex in its possession and, therefore, has not raided dumps.
Also, garda intelligence suggests the group has attempted to import arms from Libya, the United States, and possibly from ETA in Spain. If the Real IRA had arms of their own, they would not be going to such great extents to import more, security sources said.
"If you look at the bigger picture, they don't appear to have touched the main arms dumps. So while the group is a threat to the mainstream IRA and is undermining Sinn Fein, they don't seem to have gone, at least to-date, into IRA arms reserves," security sources said.
Courtesy of Irish Examiner
Further Information
Publisher: THE EXAMINER
Ref: TEX/083
Published Date: 19-Aug-98
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