Irish
Independent, August 16, 2001.
ONE of the three IRA men arrested in Colombia at the weekend was allegedly
Sinn Fein's link with Cuba. Dubliner Niall Connolly is suspected of involvement
in arranging Gerry Adams's trip to Cuba next month.
Connolly, a former teacher who travelled under the name David Bracken, had
been Sinn Fein's contact in Cuba since 1996, according to security sources in
Belfast.
They said he was believed to be part of a team helping to organise Mr
Adams's eight-day trip to the island as head of a Sinn Fein delegation.
Connolly (36) and two other IRA men, Martin McCauley and James Monaghan, are
being held by the military authorities in Bogota where they face charges of
training members of a guerrilla group and being in possession of false
passports.
Last night, Sinn Fein tried to distance itself from the incident, insisting
that Connolly was never a member of the republican party and had no part in
arrangements for Mr Adams's visit to Cuba.
A spokesman said: "None of the three men arrested in Colombia are
members of Sinn Fein.
"They were not there on Sinn Fein business."
Security sources described Connolly as an "envoy" or "ambassador"
for the IRA, who worked behind the scenes developing contacts for the terrorist
organisation.
He had no previous convictions and is fluent in Spanish.
The arrest of the three men is highly embarrassing for Sinn Fein, as it
exposes publicly what the British government and others have described as the
inextricable link between the IRA and the party.
The arrested men were described by Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne as known
members of the Provisional IRA.
But it is their links with Sinn Fein that have outraged both governments,
infuriated unionists and dismayed moderate nationalists. McCauley was director
of elections for Sinn Fein in the Upper Bann constituency in 1996.
Connolly, who is originally from Glenageary, worked as a carpenter in El
Salvador and travelled in Venezuela, Panama and Nicaragua.
The men face several days of interrogation before any charges are likely to
be brought against them.
Under Colombian law, the authorities have five days in which to charge the
men and it has been confirmed that, as of last night, none of the three was
charged.
If charged and convicted, they could spend up to 20 years in prison.
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