McKevitt planned 'spectacular' after Omagh, court hears

The alleged 'Real IRA' leader, Mr Michael McKevitt, was planning "a spectacular event that would overshadow Omagh", the Special Criminal Court was told today.

The chief prosecution witness in Mr McKevitt's trial on charges of directing terrorism, Mr David Rupert, told the court that the accused was anxious to mount a violent campaign and was "hoping to take the war...to the steps of Stormont" and into the "financial heart" of Britain.

This campaign was intended to do so much damage to the British establishment that they would withdraw from the island of Ireland completely.

Mr Rupert retraced evidence he gave yesterday that Mr McKevitt had set up a new group under the new banner of Óglaigh na hÉireann in June 1999. This new group comprised all of the 'Real IRA', "98 per cent" of the Continuity IRA and a number of INLA and Provisional IRA members. They were engaged in training and were "getting ready" for a campaign.

"To my understanding...the 'Real IRA' had ceased to exist," he said. He added Mr McKevitt told him that the ceasefire announced by the group after the Omagh bomb in August 1998 was merely a "tactical ceasefire providing him with breathing space to regroup".

Mr Rupert (51), an American businessman who was paid to infiltrate dissident republicans by the FBI and the British Security Service, gave evidence today of a series of meetings he held in and around Dundalk in late 1999 and early 2000 with members of the Óglaigh na hÉireann Army Council and engineering units.

The group were in the process of training and waiting for a mooted decommissioning move from the Provisional IRA. Mr Rupert said Mr McKevitt was confident such an announcement would cause "mass grassroots disapproval" and large numbers of Provisional supporters would join him as a result.

The court heard that Mr Rupert was asked to return to the US procure items for use in bombs, including black powder for barrack-buster devices, detonators, detonation cords and personal organisers for timing explosions. The use of fibre optics cables capable of setting off a bomb from a distance of 400 metres was discussed at one engineering meeting in a house on an estate in north Dundalk.

Mr Rupert said he did not procure any of the items except for the personal organisers. He said he never wanted to be responsible for providing "anything that could have caused anyone's death or injury".

He also said Mr McKevitt ordered Óglaigh na hÉireann members to get details on senior Provisional IRA and Sinn Féin members. One man, Mr Michael Donnelly, got details of Mr Gerry Adams' holiday home in Co Donegal, but sold them to a newspaper rather than turn them over to Mr McKevitt. This was a breach of discipline that merited assassination, Mr McKevitt told Mr Rupert. However, Mr McKevitt allegedly said he decided against carrying out the death threat as the man had a wife and children and it would be bad publicity for dissident republicanism.

Mr Rupert told him that he had a sleeper in the US named "John Smith" who was a former member of the French Foreign Legion. This man was an expert in assassination and could be called upon if Óglaigh na hÉireann decided to murder British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair. "I was told...he would be the type of person they would bring in to do it," Mr Rupert said.

At another meeting, he said Mr McKevitt had been angry with Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafy, with whom he had traded arms in his capacity of quartermaster of the Provisional IRA in the 1980s. He said Colonel Gaddafy, in an effort to appease Britain, had handed over details of Mr McKevitt and his operations.

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.