FBI agent Mr David Rupert told the Special Criminal Court yesterday that the alleged "Real IRA" leader, Mr Michael McKevitt, appointed him as head of the terrorist organisation's operations in the United States.
He said he first met Mr McKevitt at the Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan in August or September 1999 at a meeting arranged by a prominent Derry dissident republican, Mr Mickey Donnelly. He alleged that subsequently, "Mr McKevitt told me I was in charge of army operations in the US and I had an honorary seat to meet with the army council". This, he added, was so he could "report back" to support groups in the US.
Mr Rupert also told the court that the FBI advised him to take an oath of allegiance to the Continuity IRA if asked to do so.
He told the court he was head of a three-person computer cell in the Continuity IRA but he had not been sworn into the dissident republican organisation. The chief prosecution witness against Mr McKevitt said: "I was put in charge of a cell but I never took an oath."
He added that he was not asked to do so. Asked by defence counsel Mr Hugh Hartnett SC if that surprised him, he said he was "surprised no one had asked me".
Mr Rupert said he had discussed the matter with the FBI, who advised him that if required to take an oath, "to go ahead and take it".
Mr Rupert said he was given instructions by Mr McKevitt to approach Donegal republican Mr Joe O'Neill, of Republican Sinn Féin, to see if he could bring Republican Sinn Féin "on board".
Asked if Mr McKevitt "recounted to you his dealings with Gadafy" at the first meeting, he said he was not sure. He said he did talk "about Omagh and the aftermath of Omagh and he explained to me about the 20/80 responsibility with the Continuity IRA".
Earlier, Mr Rupert told the court that he faxed a daily digest of news reports from Irish newspapers and republican websites to his FBI handler.
Mr Rupert agreed that the name of Michael McKevitt was very much in the newspapers in 1998 and 1999. He told Mr Hartnett that he used to be a "casual reader" of newspapers until he became a co-operating witness in late December 2000 when he became "an avid reader". "I had lots of time on my hands," he said.
Mr Hartnett put it to Mr Rupert that a British Security Service report mentioned that Mr Rupert used to fax a daily digest of reports from the Belfast Telegraph, The Irish Times and the Irish Republican Information Service to the FBI.
Mr Rupert replied that there had been one period when he would send a fax to FBI agent Mr Ed Buckley, his handler.
He said he had set up a website for the Friends of Irish Freedom and for the 32 County Sovereignty Committee. "At Buckley's request I would look at the highlights of the news on the computer and fax it to him," he said. "I believe it only went on for a period of two or three months."
Mr Rupert told Mr Hartnett he could not recall ever reading any books on Northern Ireland or republican matters and said he had a visual problem, which meant that unless books were on tape, he could not read them.
He also denied ever giving Ms Bernadette Sands McKevitt, the accused man's wife, a book about the SAS and said he had never heard of the book.
It was the 19th day of the trial of Mr McKevitt (53), Beech Park, Blackrock, Dundalk, Co Louth, who denies membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA, otherwise Oglaigh na hÉireann, between August 29th, 1999, and March 28th, 2001. He also denies directing the activities of the same organisation.
Mr Rupert (51), a former trucking company boss and bar owner, has told the court that he infiltrated dissident republican groups for the FBI and MI5.
The court has heard that to date Mr Rupert has been paid $1.25 million for his work.