The 'Real IRA' has been infiltrated by an MI5 spy, according to a newspaper report this morning.
An American double agent infiltrated the core of the organisation which planted the Omagh bomb by posing as a wealthy benefactor, the Sunday Timesclaimed.
The Sunday Timesclaimed that Mr David Rupert, a former lorry driver from Illinois, gathered crucial evidence of the organisation's operations and membership after attending bugged meetings of its ruling army council.
The organisation sprang to notoriety when it carried out the Omagh bombing which killed 29 people in August 1998.
The 'Real IRA' has since been blamed for a number of bombings in London, including attacks on the BBC's headquarters, the MI6 building and Hammersmith Bridge.
The American, whose own past is shrouded in mystery, is thought to have become involved in the Republican movement in 1997 and has since made several trans-Atlantic visits.
He was recruited by the MI5 and FBI to spy on the activities of the 32 County Sovereignty Committee.
A Garda spokesman said he could not confirm the newspaper report.
PA
