Garda may not act on Interpol warrant

Gardaí would not confirm last night whether they intended to seek the arrest of the so-called "Colombia Three" on foot of an Interpol arrest warrant.

A Garda spokeswoman would not say if they planned to arrest the men, or whether or not they had been requested to do so by Interpol. She also refused to confirm reports the men had been in the State since last March.

She said she did not know if the Irish authorities would be obliged to comply with an arrest warrant. However, it remains unclear whether the men are the subject of an Interpol warrant.

Martin McCauley, James Monaghan and Niall Connolly, who reappeared in Ireland last week after fleeing jail sentences of more than 17 years each in Colombia, are understood to be the subject of an Interpol "red notice".

The organisation states that a red notice is "not an international arrest warrant".