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Telegraph

'Up to 25 republicans' with Colombian rebels By David Sharrock, Ireland Correspondent (Filed: 08/01/2002)

AS many as 25 Irish republicans might have spent time with a Marxist narco-terrorist group in Colombia, it was claimed in Dublin yesterday as Ulster Unionists demanded "decisive" American sanctions against Sinn Fein.

Two other republicans who were in Colombia when Niall Connolly, Martin McAuley and James Monaghan were arrested on charges of training the FARC rebel group escaped via Venezuela and are back in Ireland, according to the Evening Herald.

McAuley and Monaghan have IRA convictions, while Connolly was Sinn Fein's representative in Cuba.

The newspaper, claiming exclusive new information in an investigation with El Espectador, a Colombian newspaper, alleged that Monaghan and McAuley were training rebels in the construction of an anti-personnel mine known locally as a "Chinese hat".

The source of the information was attributed to the secret police, the department for the administration of security and army intelligence.

The report said that authorities in Bogota investigating the three Irishmen, who were arrested last August, believe that between 15 and 25 Irishmen visited the vast "demilitarised zone" which is controlled by FARC.

The three men are expected to face trial later this year. Sir Reg Empey, the Ulster Unionist economy minister in the province's power-sharing executive, demanded action from Washington.

"The issues of visas and fund-raising have to be looked at," he said. "There is a clear case to answer. The IRA have been heavily involved in helping FARC develop new terrorist capabilities designed to inflict mass murder and carnage.

"When the forces of the democratic free world are being mobilised against Islamic terrorists, there is no justification for leniency against Irish republican terrorists or their representatives, when they are in clear collaboration with sworn enemies of the US."

According to the Evening Herald, two informers have given new information on the Irish trio's activities.

A third informer told the authorities that he witnessed a meeting between McAuley, Monaghan and Connolly and the FARC guerrilla leader Manuel Marulanda. He said the three Irishmen were wearing full camouflage battle fatigues during the meeting.

The arrests alarmed American politicians, prompting an investigation by Congress's house committee on international relations into the IRA's links with Colombian rebels.

A senior committee aide was quoted by the Evening Herald as saying that the FARC zone attracted terrorists and criminals from around the world.

James MacKee claimed: "It is a real freak show, where people like Connolly, McAuley and Monaghan would have blended in perfectly."

David Andrews, Ireland's former foreign minister, will travel to Bogota this week to express his concern that the human rights of Connolly, McAuley and Monaghan have been violated.

Sir Reg said: "Perhaps Mr David Andrews should ask about the human rights of the thousands of young Americans whose lives are destroyed by the cocaine supplied by FARC."

-- Anonymous, January 07, 2002