THE Sinn Fein leadership seemed taken aback and confused in the immediate aftermath of last night's bomb attack on Canary Wharf. Within minutes of the IRA announcement that the "complete cessation of military operations" would end at 6 p.m., senior republican sources were expressing total bewilderment.
However, the precision and execution of the bomb attack would indicate that considerable planning went into the operation and that it had the imprimatur of the IRA leadership. The fact that the explosion happened within an hour of the IRA statement also supports the view that it was a highly organised affair.
Replying to questions last night on RTE television, the Sinn Fein leader, Mr Gerry Adams, did not condemn the bombing but said he "presumed" that the IRA had carried out the attack.
He said he could not comment on rumour of a possible split, but said that efforts should be doubled after this event. His commitment to a peace settlement remained intact.
He said he was saddened by the turn in events, adding that an unprecedented chance for peace had foundered on the refusal of the British government to move to all party talks. The pursuit of the peace process remained Sinn Fein's main function.
Speculation that the attack might have been conducted by a splinter group within the republican movement has been treated coolly by most observers because of the very sophisticated nature of the incident. Well placed republicans have been strongly denying suggestions of a split from the outset of the ceasefire and reiterated this belief in recent days.
One senior figure said in the early stages of the ceasefire that there would be no fracture and if the IRA decided to return to its campaign of violence, it would do so united.