British army intelligence documents which have come into the hands of the IRA are mainly briefing materials for low-level military intelligence-gathering, according to security sources.
Sinn Fein has expressed concern that some of the documents could have helped loyalists assassinate republicans in Border areas. The loss of the documents into IRA possession is seen as one of the major security lapses by the British security forces.
The IRA claims that with the documents and aerial photographs it acquired two computer disks, and is endeavouring to decipher encoded material. This claim could not be verified yesterday.
Four seized documents and some aerial pictures taken in the Border were published in the latest edition of Republican News.
A security source said the documents published were part of very basic intelligence-gathering techniques. There is a list of code-words for vehicle security categories used by soldiers checking vehicles. Since the mid-1970s the British army has been engaged in a process of mass screening of cars as part of a massive intelligence database.
Every car which passes through a permanent vehicle checkpoint (PVCP) has its registration checked by computer under a system known as Vengeful. The actual worth of such screening has long been debated. Some senior RUC and Garda figures have for years regarded the exercise as largely irrelevant.
Another document contains a list of radio call signs, the letter and numeral signs used by various camps and posts. It would be possible for anyone able to monitor British army radio signals over any period to work out these signs.
Another document described the basic rules of intelligence gathering, describing with the help of a doughnut-like diagram, the "intelligence cycle" of "collection, processing, dissemination and direction". ein negotiator, Mr Patrick McNamee expressed concern at the material and particularly the aerial photographs, which he said were very worrying "given what he described as the "history of collusion between British forces and loyalist killers."
He added: "There is obvious concern that this material could have fallen into the hands of loyalists. If it had found its way to loyalists, either deliberately or accidentally, it would be a ready-made kit to bring killers to people's doors."
