IRA - Colombia charges suspects

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BBC Wednesday, 22 August, 2001, 00:46 GMT 01:46 UK Colombia charges IRA suspects

The IRA suspects are said to have trained FARC rebels

Three suspected Irish Republican Army (IRA) members have been charged with training Marxist rebels in Colombia.

The men had been held at a military base in Bogota under heavy guard since 11 August.

Colombia's public prosecutor's office said Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and James Monaghan would be held at an unspecified prison while the state prepared its case against them.

Colombia's military accuses them of training the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to make bombs and other weapons.

The have also been charged with carrying false passports.

The trio, linked by Colombian and British officials to the mainstream IRA, were detained as they attempted to leave the country.

They had spent five weeks in a demilitarized area the government handed over to leftist FARC rebels more than two years ago to launch peace talks.

The incident has embarrassed the Colombian government, which is trying to show its peace talks with the FARC are making headway.

-- Anonymous, August 21, 2001


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