Huge campaign of violence in Britain planned, court hears

The bombing of London's Hammersmith Bridge in June 2002 was intended as the beginning to a massive campaign of violence in Britain, the Special Criminal Court was told today.

The chief prosecution witness in Mr Michael McKevitt's trial on charges of directing terrorism, Mr David Rupert, told the court the bomb, which partially exploded and caused only minimal damage, was intended to kickstart a protracted campaign of violence.

Mr Rupert had previously given evidence that Mr McKevitt had set up a new paramilitary group under the new banner of Óglaigh na hÉireann in June 1999. He said today this organisation was responsible for the Hammersmith bomb and the rocket attack on MI6 headquarters in London in September 2000.

He claimed that Mr McKevitt told him at a meeting in Dundalk that the organisation regarded "four to six MI6-type attacks in a year as a good rate".

Mr Rupert claimed Mr McKevitt was anxious to develop a supply route for weapons from the US to Óglaigh na hÉireann. The former agent said he was asked to establish an arms dump in the US, with the assistance of a sleeper in Massachusetts, known by the name "John Smith".

This was at the time that a number of consignments of weapons intended for the Provisional IRA were intercepted en route from Florida. Mr McKevitt, while wary of posting items in the future, regarded the interception as "somewhat of a Godsend" as it deflected attention away from his activities, the court heard.

They had considered putting guns in special envelopes used to protect photographic film from X-rays, but shelved the idea after Mr McKevitt was warned by a contact in the postal service that the post was "hot" and "shouldn't be used".

Mr Rupert said he travelled to El Paso in Texas to scout the Mexican border and found it to be promising for smuggling. Mr McKevitt approved as the area contained a number of military bases and was also notorious for contraband. He ordered "John Smith" to relocate to El Paso, but "wasn't at all pleased" when the sleeper refused because he preferred to stay in Massachusetts with his new girlfriend.

Towards the end of 2000, Mr McKevitt was convinced he was going to be "lifted" by the gardaí, Mr Rupert said, and had hatched a plan to travel to the continent on the floor of a truck.

Mr Rupert also told the court he bought two laptop computers and a CPU in the US at the request of Mr McKevitt using the pseudonym "Mr Anthony Blair".

Today is the fifth day of the trial of Mr McKevitt (53), Blackrock, Co Louth, who has pleaded not guilty to two charges - membership of an unlawful organisation, the IRA, between August 29th, 1999, and March 28th, 2001, and to directing its activities between March 29th, 1999, and October 23rd, 2000.

The trial resumes tomorrow morning.